A Line In the Sand
by CharlieFenwick
Summary: Chapter 6 now up. There was more to the backstory between Dolores Jane Umbridge and Minerva McGonagall than the books gave us. The story begins in 1951 with Aurors Tully McGonagall and Alastor Moody about to take down one of Knockturn Alley's biggest crime families. Not Pottermore compliant.
1. Chapter 1

August 1951

Tully McGonagall strolled casually through the second floor hallway of the Ministry of Magic. It was hot. This August was proving to be one of the hottest to sweep London in recent years. It was on days like this that McGonagall regretted wearing a muggle suit to the office.

"Morning," grunted Alastor Moody as he brushed past McGonagall. "Don't forget our meeting this afternoon."

Tully groaned internally. He had forgotten about the departmental meeting this afternoon. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement was on the verge of launching a large scale investigation into one of Knockturn Alley's most notorious crime families.

Inside his office his partner was stretched back, eyes closed, with her legs up on her desk. Her blazer was discarded on the floor and she was fanning herself with a file folder. Her face was perspiring and the humidity had caused her curls to turn into a frizzy mess. Despite extensive cooling charms the upper levels of the Ministry remained unbearably hot.

"Here you go," Tully announced as he threw a lumpy, brown paper bag at his partner. The two partners were supposed to be finalizing their presentation for the afternoon meeting. However, hunger and heat had overruled duty. An hour earlier Tully had left to take lunch with his fiancee. The lumpy bag contained his partner's unfortunate lunch.

"It's about time you got here" she said. She opened her eyes, pulled her legs off the desk, and sat up straight as she explained the details of the presentation to Tully. He listened with vague interest as he removed his suit coat and loosened his tie.

"What are you doing?" She asked sternly as she eyed his loosened tie. "This could be the biggest case of the decade. We've got to look presentable."

"Speak for yourself frizzy," McGonagall retorted as he straightened his tie. Without speaking a word there was a tiny pop and her curls were sleek again. She pulled a small compact mirror out of her desk drawer and ran her hand along one to check the quality of her work.

A soft knock came to the door and a young woman poked her head in the door.

"Sorry to barge in," said the Auror. "Alastor said you've got the file on the Malfoy real estate holdings."

"Yes I do," said his partner as she rummaged through her briefcase.

"Amelia," said McGonagall, "How certain are you that Urquart's going to authorize this?"

"I'm positive he will," she said firmly. "But I can't guarantee his superiors will agree to his proposed budget," she added.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later they were seated in a conference room on the third level. The table was full of a mismatch of Department of Magical Law Enforcement employees from a variety of departments and sub divisions. Amelia Bones and her partner Alastor Moody were from the organized crime unit. They sat next to Tully McGonagall who worked in the Auror Investigative Unit.

Tully had expected this to be a larger meeting. As he glanced around the table he realized he recognized everyone. He smiled to Moody's protege from the vice subdivision. Moody had made a good choice in Shacklebolt. He had proved invaluable during the department's investigation into the sudden booming black market trade that had plagued wizarding London in the last three years. Seated across the table were Vance and Scrimgeour from the Major Case Unit. Rounding out the group were Kenneth Yaxley, Antonin Dolohov, and Bilius Weasley, from the Hit Wizard Department. McGonagall had first met the three during a raid on Salvador Pinelli's brothel in Knockturn Alley. McGonagall knew if the Hit Wizard division was being consulted this was a good sign that the boys upstairs were going to spare no expense.

The conference room door opened and in came Commissioner Urquart flanked by Deputy Commissioner Thomas and Tully's partner. The took their seats and Tully heard a light click as the door was automatically locked.

"I'd like to remind you all that what we are about to discuss should be treated with the utmost secrecy," Commissioner Urquart said, "You are here because you're my people. I built this team and I trust you."

As the Commissioner continued his speech about "making a stand" against the growing crime in wizarding London Tully focused his concentration on the pitcher of water in the center of the table. Shacklebolt had conjured a the pitcher of ice water only moments earlier. Now it was covered in thick condensation. Tully sat back and loosed his tie.

"Miss Black if you would be so kind," the Commissioner said as he motioned for Tully's partner to begin the presentation.

"It has become apparent that our take-down of Salvador Pinelli was only the tip of the iceberg," she said as she motioned to the wall. What had previously been a blank wall was suddenly filled with pictures of witches and wizards, crime scene photos, and dates. All the pieces were connected with small bits of red string. "Commissioner Urquart tasked our unit with finding a way to break the Pinelli family's hold on the city. However, since Pinelli's arrest last year we suspect that new leadership has emerged from within the Pinelli circle."

Four of the pictures on the wall were suddenly illuminated. The first was of Niccolo Pinelli. He was Salvador Pinelli's brother but intelligence suggested he was still in Sicily. Also pictured was Declan Carrow. Carrow was employed by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in the Justice Division. He had been the advocate responsible for putting Pinelli behind bars. The third picture was of Acario Malfoy.

"Malfoy's dealings are dark," said Yaxley, "His money's dirty but he's no crime boss." Recent intelligence backed Yaxley's opinion. Malfoy was indeed involved in dirty dealings. However, Malfoy's dealings were financial. They didn't involve the disappearances, violence, and murders that the Pinelli's were known for.

The woman in the final photo was Cordelia Elliot. Madame Elliot was the owner of several significant financial holdings including the Puddlemere United Quidditch team. The Elliot family had a history of shady business dealings but it had never been publicly linked with organized crime.

"If we take down the new leader of the Pinelli group it would create a power vacuum," said Vance, "There would be a power struggle."

"We don't want to remove the new lead," said Black. The room erupted into a frenzy.

"This is exactly the kind of perverse backroom political dealings that ruined the last administration," Moody growled.

"I understand the desire to protect stability within Knockturn Alley but I'll have no part of this," Weasley said firmly.

"I serve at the pleasure of the Minister not the mafia," Yaxley added.

A small knock on the door suspended the conversation. Commissioner Urquart waved his wand and the door opened. A tall man with messy dark hair entered.

"I'm sorry I'm late," he said set down his briefcase and stood across from Miss Black.

"Perfect timing Potter," Urquart said with a grin.

"Hello everyone," Potter said beaming. "I'm an advocate with the Justice Division," he added. "And apparently the only man foolish enough to agree to take down the Pinelli family once and for all," he continued with a growing grin. "With your help we can finally take out the not just the men on the ground but also the leadership. All of it. At once."

Moody shifted in his seat. Yaxley and Vance sat upright. Bones was smiling.

"You will find that the folder in front of you contains the proposal for a full scale investigation and plan of action to make the Pinelli family extinct," Urquart said. "Officially this committee does not exist."

"Sir," McGonagall asked, "Why isn't Bob Ogden here?"

"Ogden hasn't been included in this committee," Urquart said definitively. "I want to make it clear that I trust Ogden." Urquart paused as if debating whether to continue on or stop. "But I don't trust his staff."

Bob Ogden was a tough old wizard. As head of the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol Ogden's staff played a critical role in dealing with the criminal activity orchestrated by the organized crime families of wizarding Britain.

"At some point we will require the Patrol's services," Deputy Commissioner Thomas said. "However, we feel at this time it is better that Ogden be involved on a need-to-know basis. We suspect that the Pinelli's have men in Ogden's office."

Before adjourning, Commissioner Urquart requested that members of the committee refrain from engaging in relationships outside of those previously established. There were to be no inter-departmental gatherings, outings, or lunches. Tully and Moody exchanged looks. The two men and their partners frequently spent Friday nights at a small wizarding pub known as the Department of Drink. It was located near the Ministry and frequented by Ministry employees. It would be out of character to discontinue their weekly retreat to the pub. However, Tully wouldn't mind having Weasley or Yaxley join their night out.

On the other hand, he'd be perfectly happy to ignore the Potter bloke. Tully fought hard to keep his eyes open as Potter prattled on about some Ministry decree that would allow the team to engage in some undercover operations and what information obtained would be legally allowed in court. The heat was making it considerably harder to maintain his composure. The pitcher of ice water that had been conjured earlier sat untouched and now devoid of any ice.

"We'll meet again next Friday at seven to discuss phase one of the project," Miss Black said. "We anticipate it should take around three hours to get everyone up to speed." Tully had a deep respect for his partner's attention to detail but at times it could be overbearing.

The meeting adjourned with a sense of excitement. The Pinelli family had plagued the city for years. The recent uprising in violence and black market trading had been a drag on the wizarding economy.

Commissioner Urquart was right when it came to the secrecy surrounding his latest project. The Pinelli's were rumored to have infiltrated the department. If Urquart wasn't trusting the Patrol staff it meant things were bad. It felt reassuring to know that his gang, and most importantly his partner, were counted amongst Urquart's team.

* * *

Hours later as they walked out of the office and into the London heat, Tully's thoughts drifted back to Urquart's words. As the four walked along the road to the pub they passed numerous coworkers. He nodded to Rajin Patil as they passed. Patil was a member of Patrol. Tully and Patil had coordinated on previous cases. They'd played Quidditch together at Hogwarts. Tully had been invited to Patil's wedding. It shook Tully deeply to think that Patil might be working on Pinelli's payroll.

"How are your wedding plans coming along?" asked Amelia politely pulling Tully from his thoughts.

"McGonagall hasn't got any say," Miss Black said with a grin. "She won't let him."

"She is a lady. I'd rather not talk about her with the likes of you," Tully replied as they entered the pub.

They chose a booth in the back. An Auror was never comfortable with his back to the door. Amelia was seated next to Tully. Moody was across the table with Black. The bar was stifling hot. Black was sharing her muggle cigarettes with the gang and Tully decided to indulge. He preferred a pipe but his fiancee had nixed it months earlier.

After seven rounds the pub crowd began to thin out. Moody was pretty pissed and Rin Prewett from the Administrative office had offered to walk Moody home. Amelia was teaching a sparring group in the morning for first year Auror recruits.

"My brother Edgar is hosting a picnic on Sunday at eleven if you'd like to come," she said as she placed her jacket around her shoulders. "You're welcome to bring your fiancee, Tully," she added as an afterthought.

"Thank you, Bones," he said. Their group was tight-knit. They four had spent the better part of the last seven years working together. Unfortunately, no one in the group was fond of Tully's fiancee. As of late, Tully himself wasn't particularly fond of his fiancee. He took a swig of his sidecar and waited for Amelia to leave.

"Black," Tully said in a low voice, "can I ask you a question." She waited patiently. Before he would tell her he made her promise she wouldn't discuss their conversation with Moody and Bones.

"Alright," she agreed. "What is it?"

"Do you think that I'm making the right choice tying the knot?" he asked earnestly.

His partner's brow furrowed. Her lips thinned.

"Explain," she said simply.

He should have expected this reaction. Black wasn't the type of woman to engage in long heart-to-heart talks. She wanted to know the facts and then she would draw a conclusion. Tully sighed inwardly. He shifted uncomfortably but said nothing.

"Well, what happened?" she demanded as she lit another cigarette.

Tully felt uneasy about sharing intimate details with her. They had been in tight, awkward, and even dangerous situations before but never had he felt so ill at ease with his partner. He felt like her eyes were piercing into his inner most thoughts. Yet, in the end he surrendered and told her the whole tale.

Dolores, Tully's fiancee, had given him an ultimatum. He needed to lose the muggle suits before the wedding. Over the last decade a growing number of witches and wizards were ditching the traditional wizarding robes in favor of muggle clothing. Personally, Tully enjoyed the flexibility of being able to move between the wizarding and muggle world with ease. As an Auror his work often required slipping through areas with high muggle traffic. Blending in was an essential part of the job.

"I can't understand why she's so upset," Tully said. "A suit isn't a big deal."

"If it isn't a big deal," Black questioned, "then why are you so upset?"

"I think she's worried her family won't approve," Tully said. Tully had met his fiancee's family on two occasions. Her parents were from a different era. They were the byproduct of older pureblood families that were not economically prosperous nor politically powerful. Her maternal grandmother had been a Selwyn. Her daughter had married into the working class, yet pureblood, Umbridge family. Tully had marveled at how Dolores was determined to rise above her station. Her efforts to learn the social customs, etiquette, and polish of pureblood society were unmatched.

"If someone doesn't like you for who you are they aren't worth your time," Black said seriously. Her green eyes were beginning to glaze from the gillywater. She tapped the ash off the end of her cigarette into a small glass ashtray on the end of the table. Tully had no response so he waited for her to speak. She looked away from the conversation and out into the bar.

"You pick these brainless, busty broads from the Administrative Division," she said turning back to their conversation. Tully felt like a child being reprimanded by parent. "The only difference between the ones at the Ministry and the ones here," she said pointing to a cocktail waitress, "is a name and their blood status."

"You're wrong you know," Tully said defensively. "Dolores has a plan. She wants a career."

Black snorted. She put her cigarette out and stood up. As she grabbed her blazer jacket and hung it over her arm she said, "Those women only take jobs at the Ministry to find a husband. The only difference with Dolores is she's hoping to find the next Minister."

She stood at the edge of the table with her lips pursed as she waited for an answer.

"Like you and Bones are any different," Tully said bitterly. "You go out with men from the Ministry and you don't settle for just anyone."

"The difference is I don't want to marry the next Minister. I want to work for the next Minister. If I happen to meet someone along the way so be it. Goodnight," she said as she walked away from the table. Tully collected his own suit coat and made for the door as well. Near the hallway for the restroom he caught her arm. He gently spun her around so they were face to face.

"Black," he said, "I'm sorry."

"Minerva?" A cool voice interrupted. Tully looked to his left to see none other than the Potter prat he had met hours earlier. Potter was eyeing the pair carefully. Tully felt uncomfortable with the situation. He was in a bar holding a woman by the arm with a Ministry Advocate asking questions.

"Hello Seamus," Black said as she removed her arm from Tully's grip.

"Is everything alright?" Potter asked her without taking his eyes from Tully.

"Yes," she smiled. "I would join you but I'm just leaving. Have a good night."

She tossed her blazer over her shoulder and gave Potter one last goodnight. She turned on her heel and walked out into the hot, humid London night air. Tully gave Potter one last glare before following her out into the heat.

He could hear the light click of her heels as she walked along the road. The heat had caused a thick fog to envelope the streets. The lights gave off an eerie glow. There were people scattered about in the heat of the night. Ahead, his partner had turned and was heading in the direction of St. James Park. The park provided a safe apparition spot for many of the Ministry employees. Minerva had a rowhouse in Bethnal Green and often used the park to commute to and from work.

She stopped to adjust her heel and Tully took the opportunity to catch her.

"Minerva," he said as he approached her.

"McGonagall," she responded acknowledging his presence.

"I'm sorry I never should have-" he began to say but she cut him off. She stood upright.

"I didn't mean to-" he started but she held her hand up to stop him.

"Now really," he said as he backed her up against the nearest tree. "I know and respect that you are-"

"Shut it," she demanded as she placed a finger on his mouth. They stayed that way for a moment. Her eyes were closed as she listened to the sounds around them. In the distance there was music from a saxophone playing. It was likely a street performer. A soft wind rustled the trees. Occasional car horns sounded from the nearby streets. Tully watched intently for any sign from her to tell him what she had heard. A bead of sweat fell from her forehead and onto her chest as it rose slowly.

Without a word her eyes shot open and she looked at Tully. He gave her look. She responded. It was a game they played. Over the course of their relationship they had managed to communicate without words in some tight situations. She pulled him close and whispered a barely audible "trouble." In response, Tully's hand went for his wand. Minerva placed her hand over his to stop him.

"Lovebirds up ahead," they heard a voice whisper as sound of footsteps grew closer. Tully felt the hot breath of a man near his ear.

"And what do we have hear?" The man said dangerously. There were three, maybe four, of them. They were Muggles and hoodlums. Tully could smell alcohol on the man's hot breath. He felt a sudden pain in the back of his legs as one of the men hit him with a cane across the back of the knees. As Tully fell the man placed the cane under Tully's neck. Tully tried to move his arms but another man was holding them back.

Minerva stood with her back against the tree. She could easily whip out her wand and hex the men but her actions would be a violation of the Statute of Secrecy. While two men held Tully a third approached her. He thrust his arm out against her neck to hold her against the tree. On the ground, one of the men holding Tully was searching his pockets. He found what he had been looking for and dumped the contents of Tully's coin purse onto the grass.

"What the hell is this?" Said one of the men in angry whisper as he eyed the nuts and sickles.

"Teppista!" Minerva shouted as she threw out her own small stash of sickles. She slapped the hoodlum across the face and began ranting in Italian. The men backed off to collect the coins and Minerva grabbed Tully as the stormed off down the path.

Once they were clear of the hoodlums, Minerva stopped.

"Are you alright?" She asked as she looked at his neck. He murmured that he was fine and the pair reached the end of the park. Minerva bid him farewell and after a small popping noise Tully was left standing alone in the park.

* * *

After a short walk home Tully poured himself a small tumbler of whiskey and slid into an aged armchair. He chuckled to himself about the incident from earlier in the evening. Posing as Italian tourists was a quick thinking on his partner's part. As Tully walked to the bedroom he removed his suit coat and tie. He set his tumbler down on the nightstand next to picture of his fiancee Dolores. She was petite with short blond curls and a rounded face. His words from earlier were echoing in is head. "She's a lady," he had told his friends. He doubted Dolores would have thought to whip out a fake Italian accent and attitude when confronted by a group of Muggle thugs.

As the humidity hung in the air, Tully drifted off into an uneasy sleep. As he tossed around in the sheets of his four poster bed he dreamed of green eyes and soft black curls. When he awoke, he told himself the heat was responsible for the sudden change in the woman he dreamed about.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone for reading the first chapter. I promise you- stick with the story because it will pay off. I apologize for not including a proper thanks to JKR in the first chapter. Without her interactions between Minerva and Dolores I wouldn't have gotten this plot bunny and wouldn't have a wonderfully created world to place it in.

* * *

Alastor Moody took a sip from his punch and adjusted himself in his trousers. The heat was unbearable. Edgar Bones had picked a helluva day to hold a picnic. At least there was a tent to provide shade from the August heat.

"Fancy a ride?" Edgar said to Moody from across the table. Moody had been eying Edgar's new Shooting Star racing broom all afternoon. The Bones family had a lovely country house that provided plenty of free space to ride brooms. The freedom to ride was one of the biggest things Alastor missed about living in the country. Life in London made it difficult to ride a broom regularly. Alastor watched with envy as the McKinnon boy soared gently above the ground with ease. The light breeze of a casual broom ride was a good feeling on a hot day.

"I see she decided to come," Edgar said as he pointed to the back door of the house. Stepping through the doorway was Tully McGonagall accompanied by his fiancée, Dolores. The two made a beeline for Moody's table.

"Alastor," Tully said as he approached the table.

"Mister Moody," Dolores said sharply nodding to the man.

"Is that the new Shooting Star?" Tully asked as he eyed the broom off in the distance.

"I've got the next ride," Moody said as Tully and Dolores sat down at the table.

* * *

Across the yard was a small sandbar where a shallow river flowed through the back of the Bones' property. Amelia Bones, Minerva Black and Charlotte Dawes were relaxing on the sandbar with their feet in the water. The sand was hot, but the river provided a nice relief from the heat of day. The three ladies were sharing Black's muggle cigarettes and passing around a cool bottle of Gillywater.

"I don't see why they cut Greene's contract," said Bones angrily. Frank Greene had been her favorite beater for the Pride of Portee for the last twelve years. Amelia hadn't taken the news well when she learned that the team was cutting him. Charlotte was an assistant editor for _The Pitch,_the leading Quidditch magazine. Earlier in the afternoon she had dropped the bomb that Greene was on his way out.

"He missed two games last season and he's getting on," Minerva replied as she took a lazily took a drag from her cigarette. "36 is pretty old for a professional player."

"Don't let your partner hear you say that," Charlotte said with a smirk from underneath her big, floppy sun hat.

"Sometimes I forgot he's so old," Minerva said in response.

"Who is so old?" Said Tully McGonagall as he approached the three ladies.

"You're blocking my sun," said Charlotte as Tully stood behind the three. Minerva glanced back to greet him and noticed he was sporting muggle clothing. She couldn't resist the opportunity to get a dig in to Dolores.

"What a lovely shirt, McGonagall," Minerva said as took in his red and yellow Hawaiian style shirt. "It is very" Minerva paused, "loud."

"_Hem hem,"_Dolores coughed.

"I could say the same for your bathing suit," McGonagall countered. Amelia had talked Minerva into purchasing a new bathing suit. It was a bright yellow two piece and not something Minerva would have purchased on her own. She was uncomfortable in the suit, and Tully knew it, but he silently praised Amelia for her efforts. Amelia had tried to gently nudge Minerva into showing a little more skin.

"_Hem hem,_" Dolores coughed again. She was still standing on the grass a few feet behind the group.

"Why don't you come down here, dear?" Charlotte said politely.

"Where are my manners?" Tully said as he realized he hadn't properly introduced his guest. "Ladies this is my fiancée Dolores." He held his hand out for Dolores to join him down on the sand but she refused to move from the grass. "And Dolores this is Charlotte Dawes, Amelia Bones and you've already met Minerva."

"We're about to walk upstream," Amelia offered with a smile, "There's a new nest of Puffskeins if you'd like to see them."

"Don't you think we should return to the party?" Dolores asked. Tully could hear in her voice that she was uncomfortable. Dolores, in her sundress and cardigan, wasn't dressed for jaunt up the river. Amelia reassured the two that they weren't going anywhere deep.

Despite Amelia's reassurances, Dolores declined the offer. She also decided that she would wait in the grass by the sandbar until the group returned. Amelia shook out the blanket the ladies had been laying on while Charlotte placed the bottle of Gillywater back into a small wicker basket. Tully watched as Minerva stood up and stretched in a catlike fashion and said another silent 'thank you' to Amelia for her efforts. As he watched his partner's back arch his thoughts drifted to his dream from the other night.

"Look out!" Tully heard a voice call. He whipped around to see Alastor Moody barreling toward the gang on Edgar's new broom. Tully just had time to duck before hearing a loud splash. Sitting in a foot of muddy water was Moody laughing and covered in muck. But Tully's heart sank when he realized Dolores was sitting next to Moody in the water.

"I'm sorry about that ma'am," Moody said as he tried to help her to her feet.

"Don't touch me," Dolores snapped. Her sundress and hair were wet. She wiped the muck from her eyes and glared at Moody. Ignoring her protests, Moody picked her up and tried to help wipe the chunks of mud off her dress. Her blonde hair was coated in thick slime.

"Please come inside the house," Amelia said as she offered Dolores her hand. "We'll get you cleaned up and find you something new to wear."

Dolores didn't immediately respond. She glanced down at Amelia's attire as if to judge whether she could trust any clothing the woman could offer.

"No I don't think so," Dolores said in her sickly sweet voice as she finally stepped out of the water. As she did, she took Edgar's new racing broom with her. Amelia offered to take the broom. Dolores smiled and pulled out her wand. Before anyone could stop her, Dolores said a quick spell and the broom snapped in half. With a smile, Dolores handed the broom to Amelia and began to walk away. The group stood on the sandbar in silence.

"Hey," Minerva yelled at Dolores as she walked away across the grass. "What's your problem?"

Dolores continued to walk away without acknowledging Minerva. Moody was beside himself as Amelia and Charlotte tried to reassure him that it wasn't his fault. Minerva shot a glare at Tully. He responded with a shrug. His eyes widened. He certainly hadn't expected Dolores to break Edgar's broom. Her thinned lips told Tully she wasn't buying his response. Without a word, Minerva took off after Dolores.

"Black," Tully called after her. He wanted to avoid any confrontation between the two witches. Dolores had quite an unpredictable temper. Hell, she had just snapped a man's broom in half. There was no telling what she would do when cornered.

Unfortunately, Black beat him to her. Minerva put her arm on Dolores's shoulder and turned her around. Tully picked up his pace to a jog.

"Do you need something, Miss Black?" Dolores said she spun around. Minerva was taken aback by Dolores's tone. Dolores wore a face of pure innocence and a tone of genuine surprise.

"What is your problem?" Minerva said repeating her earlier question. "That was completely uncalled for."

"Yes it was," Dolores said sweetly, "and Mister Moody is fortunate that I won't be pressing charges."

"Press charges?" Minerva said incredulously. Her eyes were wide with disbelief. Her chest was heaving as she glared down at the smaller woman.

"Is that a problem, Miss Black?" Dolores asked as her smile grew wider. Minerva opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by Tully's arrival.

"Darling," Tully said breathlessly as he reached the pair. "Perhaps you overreacted. Let's-"

"Overreacted?" Dolores said with a slightly faltering smile. Her eyes were wide and her face seemed frozen.

"Why don't we go inside and talk?" Tully suggested as he took Dolores's hand in his own.

* * *

Twenty minutes later Tully emerged alone from the house. He walked across the veranda and joined the group under the tent. Charlotte and Amelia were trying to remove the mud from Moody's clothes.

"Sorry McGonagall," Moody said in earnest as his clothes dripped onto the stone. At least the heat would help dry Moody's clothes faster.

"I'm the one who should apologize," Tully said as he turned to Edgar.

"As I recall," Minerva said from the corner of the tent, "you're not the one who broke the broom."

"The children would enjoy walking up to see the Puffskeins," Charlotte said quickly. "We can handle cleaning up."

As they walked along the stream Edgar and Amelia shared stories from their childhood. Tully had rolled his pant legs up and removed his shoes. He felt relief as his feet touched the cool stones under the moving water. As he walked he noticed small minnows swiftly swimming to avoid his footsteps.

There was a clearing up the stream that the Bones had used as a camp out spot as children. Tully had been fishing with Edgar on this stream a handful of times. Tully's home in London was suitable for a bachelor but he dreamed of owning a country home one day so he could take his children on camp outs.

"Aunt Amelia," said Edgar's youngest daughter. "Will you take us on a camp out tonight?"

"Please, please, please, please, please!" Cried McKinnon kids in unison.

"Perhaps you should take Dolores on a camping trip?" Minerva suggested as she looked back at him. Tully thought she looked ridiculous toting around a toddler in a bathing suit. He chuckled.

"Dolores doesn't really enjoy outdoor activities," Amelia said smartly.

"Well with her work it is hard to enjoy the outdoors," Tully said as he stepped high to avoid a large, slippery rock covered with moss.

"I'm sorry," Minerva said as she cocked her head, "Did you say work or wardrobe?"

"Well there's that too," Tully said with a small smile.

"I'll go on a camp out with you!" Edgar's daughter offered.

"There won't be any camp outs tonight but there will be fireworks," Amelia reassured the children. Giddy squeals of delight accompanied Amelia's announcement. "But quiet down or you'll scare the Puffskeins."

* * *

As the sun began to set a beautiful orange hue streaked across the skyline. Moody, now dry, helped Amelia lay out blankets. The McKinnon boy was very upset that they weren't, in his mind, close enough to the fireworks. It took almost a half hour to settle the little ones onto the quilts.

Once the kids were set, Edgar passed around some Bones' family wine. As Tully savored a third glass of the homemade nectar he started to feel the wear of the day and sun. Even the booms of the fireworks weren't enough to keep his attention. He could feel himself starting to nod off and he struggled to keep his eyes open.

"It's too sweet," Moody surmised as he licked his lips.

"It's supposed to be sweet," Amelia countered as a firework crackled down into smoke.

Edgar must have cast a cooling spell on the quilts. Compared to the humidity he'd sat in all day, that quilt felt like heaven. Tully drifted off to sleep listening to the whirl, boom, and sizzle of the fireworks in the night sky.

Tully could hear voices whispering but he didn't open his eyes. It was cool out. This was the first good sleep he'd had in a quite some time. As he lay barely awake he tried to distinguish the conversation. There were hushed voices and then a giggle. As he inhaled he could smell smoke.

"I am worried," said a voice that Tully recognized as Minerva. "He was winging it during that meeting. I know he didn't read the report thoroughly." Tully felt a small pang of guilt. It was obvious Minerva was discussing the report on the Pinelli family. He had barely skimmed the contents of the report.

"You don't think he can handle himself?" Amelia whispered in a serious tone.

"I should have made my meaning clearer," Minerva said solemnly. "He can handle himself." Tully's heart swelled with pride from his partner's assessment. "But we're sailing through uncharted waters." She added. "I'm not sure we're ready."

"And his charm has nothing to do with this concern," Amelia said with a hint of sarcasm. Tully's ears perked up at the comment. He had to stop himself from moving too much. He heard his partner snort softly.

"Potter and I are friends," Minerva said in a matter-of-fact tone. Tully's heart sank. He knew there was a reason he didn't like that man. "We're very old, very dear friends," Minerva reiterated, "and nothing more."

"So your upcoming dinner is-" Amelia started but was cut off by Minerva.

"Dinner," she said in a dangerously low voice. "And just dinner. And you can stop pretending to be asleep McGonagall."

Tully felt his cheeks flush as he sat up straight.

"How did you know?" He asked as he smoothed his hair down.

"Your breathing changed," Minerva responded as she tapped the ash off the end of her cigarette.

Glancing around Tully noticed that most of the guests were gone. Amelia and Minerva were sitting on a blanket near Tully. Closer to the house, Tully could barely make out a few shadows sitting on the veranda. It looked like Edgar and his wife, Moody, and Barry McKinnon were laughing together.

"They're playing Knights and Knaves if you want to join," Amelia offered.

It was a simple card game and one that Tully enjoyed tremendously. Each player would draw question or dare cards to ask another player. If one was asked a question card the player could answer truthfully or lie. Then each player would bet a Knight or Knave piece depending on if they thought the person was truthful or dishonest. If one was asked a dare card the person could accept or decline. To accept earned the player a Knight but to decline earned the player a Knave. The person to collect the most Knights was named the Knight. Alternatively, the person to collect the most Knaves was crowned the Knave for the evening. The Knight would be able to command the Knave for minor tasks for the remainder of the evening.

"Would you ladies care to join?" Tully asked hopefully. Knights and Knaves was one of his favorite card games. His years as an auror made it easy, or so he thought, at detecting liars in the game. He added a reassuring smile to seal the deal but the two women politely refused his offer. Tully left and joined the group on the veranda while Minerva and Amelia stayed out on the lawn.

"The truth is," Minerva said after Tully was out of earshot, that Potter and I are very complicated."

"What do you mean complicated?" Amelia pried as she took a swig of gillywater.

"Why don't we talk about you and-" Minerva started but was immediately cut off by Amelia.

"It's tricky," Amelia said shortly.

Minerva stretched back on a blanket and stared up the stars. She rolled her shoulders back and sighed. The sun had gone down but the heat still hung in the air. It was so still and humid that it would be hard to sleep.

"Complicated. Tricky," she said in a dreamy, most-unlike-Minerva tone. "Do you think there's any chance women like us- aurors, career women- have any chance at a regular romance?"

"Regular? Unlikely, Miss Black," said a deep voice. Minerva sat up quickly and spun around to see Minister Urquart. Amelia dropped the bottle of gillywater and stood up quickly. Minerva also jumped up and tried her best to look presentable. Minister Urquart chuckled.

"I'm sorry to barge in on a lovely evening but I thought I might find you all here," he said quickly as the three walked in the direction of the veranda. "There's been an incident," he added quietly.

"Minister," Tully said as he threw his cards on the table and stood up quickly to greet his boss. Minister Urquart gave his team a brief rundown of an incident that had occurred very recently in London. In the distance there was a flash of heat lightening and low rumble of thunder.

"Storm's a coming," Moody said as he glanced out across the lawn. "Let's get there before the evidence is washed away."


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to all of you for sticking with the story. Please review. I'd love to hear your feedback. And again, thanks to JKR.

* * *

Twenty minutes after Minister Urquart's appearance at the party the four Aurors found themselves in the stifling heat of a small alley between two rowhouses in a seedy part of London. The heat lightening was flashing across the sky to the west. Tully was hoping it would move in a drop the temperature.

Against the faded brick wall of one of the rowhouses lay the dead body of a young woman. She had light brown hair and was wearing a blue muggle dress. Her eyes were frozen open. There were no visible signs of trauma or violence on her body.

"Noreen Watts," Amelia said as she glanced over notes from one of the law enforcement wizards. "She worked in the Department of Magical Education."

"It was the killing curse alright," Minerva said as she examined the eyes.

"She was found about an hour ago," the Magical Law Enforcement officer explained.

"But why call us?" Moody asked, "And how was she found so quickly?"

The officer was at a loss for words. The tip had been anonymous. There were no witnesses present when the officers arrived. Moody worked on questioning the officers about the tip. Amelia was looking into Noreen's information. Minerva was studying the body. Tully was focused on something on the wall. There was little light in the alley. It was a heavily muggle populated area so wands were kept hidden. Tully could see a design on the wall above the body.

As he drew closer Tully could make out what appeared to be a skull with a snake stretching out of the mouth. It was a bizarre symbol and not something Tully had seen before. Organized crime sometimes left symbols near their crimes to take credit for the deeds committed but this particular symbol was unfamiliar.

"McGonagall," Minerva said softy, "It is on her wrist." Minerva held out the wrist of the girl and Tully noticed the same dark symbol on the small wrist of the dead woman. Tully pulled out a small sketch book that he kept and quickly sketched an picture of the image.

"Do you think it is a new organized crime group?" Moody questioned.

"No," Tully said as he shook his head. "Maybe. I'm not sure. Perhaps it is a symbol. A ritual killing maybe?"

As Tully and Moody theorized about the meaning of the symbol a small brown owl swept in a dropped a letter for Minerva. They were finished with the crime scene and exhausted from the heat of the day. The temperature had taken a recent dip and rain would be moving in soon. Moody excused himself from the group. However, Amelia was unable to sleep and decided to join the officers back at the ministry to process the paperwork.

As Tully said his goodnights Minerva caught his arm and handed him a note. The note instructed Tully to meet her "Three south, left and up the stairs." Tully started walking north and then doubled back. There were kids scrambling into the house to avoid the oncoming rain. He pulled his jacket tighter around his body as he rounded the corner. There was a small joint on the second floor above a cafe.

* * *

Inside the place was dark and crowded. There were many young couples huddled around small tables. There was a large woman on a small stage belting out old tunes in a rusty voice accompanied by a shifty looking young man on an out of tune piano. Next to the window was a small table where Tully spotted his partner sitting with Kenneth Yaxley and Potter.

"I thought we weren't supposed to meet outside of the office?" Tully said quietly as he sat down next to his partner.

"I'm sorry but I felt the circumstances warranted a meeting," Yaxley explained. His eyes bore into Tully's. "I was Miss Watt's anonymous tip." Tully's eyebrows went higher. "She was an informant for my department."

"Miss Watts was also a witness to the original case against Salvador Pinelli," Potter added ominously. "Minister Urquart has already been informed."

"How did you find her so quickly?" Tully said ignoring Potter and turning to Yaxley.

Yaxley ran his hand through his blonde hair. The lightning flashed again and rain began wash against the window pane. Yaxley waited for the cocktail waitress to leave drinks and then began informing the others of the details of the night. Noreen Watts had contacted Yaxley on Friday that she had information to pass along regarding Salvatore Pinelli. Watts had failed to show at the designated meeting spot.

"Earlier today she had asked if we could change the location," Yaxley explained. "She was afraid she was being tailed." Yaxley was unsure of the nature of the information she wished to share. He explained that there had been no recent changes in Pinelli's visitors or routines at Azkaban prison. The two were originally slated to meet at 9:00 p.m. at a bookstore several blocks away.

"She would drop the information in a copy of a book. A different book each time. It was supposed to be in _Great Expectations_ this week," Yaxley said as he stirred his cocktail. "I've already looked. This was inside."

Yaxley tossed a small crumpled note on the table. Minerva unfolded it carefully. Her brow was furrowed with anticipation for the contents contained within.

"Quit while you are alive," She read, "or six more will die. Let us not waste magical blood."

The four sets of eyes met as they tried to determine the meaning of the note. Pinelli had never been known to hold feelings regarding magical blood status. His second wife was a muggle-born witch. Pinelli had not been a supporter of Grindelwald's activities.

"I suggest we think on this," Potter said to the group, "And reschedule our meeting. I'll be in touch." He placed his hat on his head and with a quick nod was off.

"We shouldn't all leave together," Yaxley warned, "I'll see if that blonde on the end of the bar needs an escort."

"You haven't changed have you," Minerva said with a raised eyebrow.

"And I never will," he said with a wink as he left the table.

* * *

Tully and Minerva found themselves sitting next to each other alone in the corner of the pub. Outside the wind and rain slapped hard against the windows. It was a downpour that had been building all day. The cocktail waitress brought them each another round which they drank in silence.

"So you and Potter-" Tully started to ask but was cut off by his partner.

"Given your choice in fiancée I hardly find you fit to critic any of my private affairs," she said sharply. "She broke a man's broom. She's crazy McGonagall."

"She felt-" Tully said in defense of his woman.

"She's a social climber," Minerva continued.

"Who is very well respected-" Tully stared as his partner continued on her rant.

"Who is not with you because you are attractive, or likeable, or entertaining," Minerva said with increasing agitation.

"Oh I'm attractive?" Tully said with a mocking tone but Minerva wasn't even listening.

"She's only with you because she thinks you are going places in the Ministry," Minerva said. "And you like nice in a suit."

A tense silence fell over the pair. They paid the waitress for the drinks and quickly exited the pub. Outside and down the stairs the rain continued to pour. The wind had picked up. It was close to midnight. A dim streetlamp and neon signs were the only lights outside. It was now cold and a drastic change from the heat earlier in the day.

"I'm sorry," Minerva said softly. They had walked about half a block before the downpour returned. They were sandwiched in the doorway of a dry cleaner waiting for the rain to lighten up. "But I think you deserve better." She added as she turned to look at him. Her hair was drenched and sticking to her face. Her eye makeup had started to smear. Tully began to laugh. Minerva swatted his arm.

"You look funny with your makeup all your face," Tully said with a grin.

"We'll we all can't be as perfect as Dolores," Minerva said icily.

They waited a moment in silence before they left the doorway. Minerva had a small townhouse to the north. Tully's flat was to the west. The pair continued walking east together without saying a word to one another. After another block Minerva stopped and confronted Tully.

"You live that way," she snapped as she held out her arm.

"I'm going to office," Tully retorted, "I can't sleep."

"But I'm going to the office," Minerva said with ferocity.

"Fine," Tully said with more force than he wanted to.

"Fine!" Minerva said in response.

* * *

The two continued walking as the wind picked up. Twenty minutes later they arrived with cold, soaked bodies. The rain and chilled their bodies but not their tempers. Once inside their small office the partners were still not speaking.

Minerva was deeply disturbed by the symbol found on the body. She was certain there was a symbolic meaning behind the image. In symbolism serpents could represent the battle between good and evil, medicine, vengeance, and death. Skulls represented mortality and death. There were no current active serial killers or organized crime units using serpents or skulls in their symbols or messages.

"What's the Malfoy family crest?" Tully suddenly asked.

"A peacock," Minerva answered without taking her eyes away from her case notes. She was following his train of thought. The Malfoy family had strong ties to the Pinelli's and their opinions on blood status certainly fit the profile. But there was nothing connecting the Malfoy family to the note at the scene. The pair fell silent again. Tully was flipping through a small sketchbook he kept on symbolism.

"Fancy a trip to Hogwarts?" He asked as he tossed the book down on the desk. Minerva looked up from her notes but remained silent. "I remember seeing something from my house history project research."

"You think this is related to her Hogwarts house?" Minerva said with a skeptical glance at her partner.

"No," Tully said, "But I know there's a book in the library with that symbol."

"I'll write to Professor Dumbledore to inform him of our impending arrival," Minerva said as she penned a short note to her former Professor. "What time is it?"

Tully glanced at the small clock on the wall. It was almost two thirty in the morning. He knew exactly what she was thinking. This late in the evening it wouldn't make sense to go to sleep. During a complex investigation they expected nights like this.

"If we leave now we can make it before breakfast," he said. She smiled and offered to arrange transport. Tully quickly packed a small bag with case notes, his symbolism book, and a sketch book.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later they met on top of the Ministry on a landing platform. The platform carried powerful disillusionment charms to allow for unseen entrances and takeoffs in and out of the Ministry. Minerva had only been able to secure brooms for the trip. It would be a long broom ride to Hogwarts but Tully didn't want to wait for better transportation. If his memory was right then this could lead them to new head of the Pinelli family.

After securing their personal belongings and casting a quick gripping charm the pair launched off into the night sky. It was still raining and without the gripping charm they risked falling. As the glided above the London skyline the wind increased. Within minutes the lights of city grew smaller and smaller as the rode north.

Occasionally they would pass over a bundle of small lights below. Mostly it was dark, like riding over the ocean. During the war with Grindelwald Tully had flown several missions over the Channel. The cold, black water below was mesmerizing. Now the fields and small villages below were beginning to make him sleepy.

"Snap out of it," Minerva said as she did a barrel roll with her broom. "Don't get the dead in the eyes."

Dead in the eyes was a broom riders worst fear. When flying a person could travel great distances and not remember the trip. It was known as flying hypnosis and could prove fatal.

They only stopped once for the duration of the trip. They landed gracefully near a field shortly before the border. Tully's legs were aching. He hadn't ridden that fast nor that long in nearly four years. The pair walked around for a moment and stretched.

When they resumed their flight the cold air felt refreshing. It wasn't long before the castle towers appeared over the landscape.

"Let's land by lake and hike from there," Tully shouted at his partner. With a nod she responded and they began their descent.

* * *

Professor Dumbledore was surprised by the late night note from his former student. It was concise but obviously important.

"Did she say why?" Galatea Merrythought asked as she buttered a piece of toast. Minerva Black had been a well liked student during her time at Hogwarts. Albus had informed the Headmaster of her request and news of her approaching arrival had spread quickly.

"She is working in the Auror Division," Albus explained. "All she said was that her and her partner requested access to the Hogwarts library to aid in an ongoing investigation."

The lives of the Hogwarts staff were mostly uneventful. Visits from former students and colleagues caused quite a stir.

"Who's the partner?" The inquiry had come from Filius Flitwick, a newer addition to the Hogwarts staff. Filius had joined three years earlier.

"Tully McGonagall," Dumbledore answered.

"Tully McGonagall you say?" Said Horace Slughorn as he entered the staff room. "His mother says he's engaged. Was quite an exceptional student. I would place money that he'll run for Minister of Magic someday."

"He's coming to seek some information in the library for an investigation," Dumbledore explained to Horace.

"Splendid!" Horace said as he grabbed a roll from the table. "We shall have to invite him to breakfast."

There were audible grumbles from the staff. Dumbledore was certain the pair would be hungry after a long flight but a casual breakfast with Horace was probably not on the agenda.

"I'll need the elves to prepare something special," Horace went on as he planned the breakfast. "They'll be hungry I'm sure and in need of some food to stimulate the mind. Nothing gets your brain power going like a Hogwarts breakfast."

"Who's Tully McGonagall?" Filius asked.

"I believe he was too young to attend school with you and too old for you to have taught," Albus mused.

A quick knock on the staff room door pulled Albus from his thoughts. The door swung open of its own accord. Minerva Black and Tully McGonagall stood at the doorway accompanied by the groundskeeper Ogg.

"Hello! Hello!" Slughorn cried as he rushed to great the pair. "Come in. I've got breakfast waiting in my quarters. We can catch up. I'd love to hear about your adventure."

* * *

Despite Minerva's insistence on the importance of their visit Slughorn's breakfast won out in the end. Tully had tried to explain that there was just no telling the man no. Tully's family had been friends with the Professor for years and, in truth, Tully did enjoy the Professor.

Once down in the dungeons Tully and Minerva carried on polite conversation with Slughorn over a big breakfast. Slughorn had spared nothing in laying out enough food to feed an army. There were pastries, egg dishes, bacon and sausages, and even crepes.

"So how long have you been together?" Slughorn inquired as his eyes grew larger.

"Three years now is it?" Minerva answered.

"Yes dear," Tully smiled sarcastically. Their partnership had started off rocky. Minerva was much younger than he was. Tully felt uncomfortable being paired with new blood. He was a department veteran hardened by the war. But in time she proved to be a valuable asset. Now he wouldn't want to be with anyone else in the field.

After an hour Tully was out of conversation topics and felt like his belt needed to be expanded. Slughorn offered to escort the pair to the library. Once inside Slughorn brought Tully to history section while Minerva searched the section on symbolism.

"She's something you know," Slughorn said as he pointed to Minerva. She was a few stacks away. Dust from the shelves played in the early morning light coming through a large glass window. "I had her brother, but I'd have preferred the set."

"Thank you for your help today," Tully said turning back to Slughorn. "And thank you for breakfast."

"It was nothing my boy," Slughorn said as he smiled. "It was so nice to see you two. I'm sure you'll be very happy. I look forward to the wedding."

"Yes," Tully agreed. "Dolores is preparing to send the invitations soon."

"Who's Dolores?" Slughorn asked softly as he looked at the taller man.

"My fiancée," Tully answered. "Dolores Umbridge. I'm sure you'd remember her."

"But Miss Black-" Slughorn struggled to find words to express his thoughts. "I thought. This whole time-"

"I'm sorry Sluggie," Tully said with a grin realizing Slughorn's confusion. "Minerva and I are partners in the Auror Division. We are not romantically involved."

"You could have fooled me," Slughorn said still looking slightly befuddled. "You're sure? She's quite lovely."

It was nearly noon before Tully found what he'd been searching for. In an aged book in the history section Tully found the answer to his question.

"Knights of the Order of the Eglė," Tully said as he read aloud to Minerva, "The Queen of Serpents. Their mission was to protect the sanctity of pureblood mothers. Formed in 1033 by Tannis Slytherin, granddaughter of Salazar Slytherin. Disbanded in 1071."

He turned the book over so Minerva could see the image. The skull with a serpent coming through the mouth was exactly the same symbol seen on the informant's body. The symbol found on her body was black but the symbol in the book was green.

"We should check if Watts was pregnant," Minerva suggested. "But I still don't see how this relates to the Pinelli's."

Once they had exhausted in information on the symbol and the organization they packed up and headed for the castle grounds. They would be able to take a train back to London and Tully was planning on sleeping the whole way. They had spent the entire day at the library and it was nearing sundown.

On their way out the door Professor Dumbledore caught Minerva's arm.

"The symbol you are investigating," he said in a hushed tone, "Is dangerous. Be very careful."

"Professor how did you know-" Minerva started to say but Dumbledore's eyes told her to stop talking.

"I'm not at liberty to say," Dumbledore said quietly. "Not here. Look for my owl."

* * *

The train ride back was pleasant enough. Tully and Minerva had a private car. Tully bunched up his overcoat and used it as a pillow to catch some sleep on the ride back to London. Fields, streams, and farms whizzed by as the train rumbled along the tracks. An hour or so in to the trip and both Tully and Minerva were fast asleep.

Shortly after the sun went down there was a small rapping on the window. Tully awoke to see a haggard looking owl slip in quickly bearing a awful looking red note. Tully gently roused his partner but she refused to open her eyes. He cast a quick silencing spell on the car and then opened the howler.

"HOW DARE YOU SKIP OUT ON THIS DINNER! IT IS NEARLY HALF PAST SIX AND YOU HAVEN'T EVEN SO MUCH AS OWLED TO SAY YOU'LL BE LATE. YOU HAVE MADE IT CLEAR THAT WORK IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ME. IF YOU WISH TO APOLOGIZE I WILL ACCEPT BUT WE WILL NEED TO RENOGIATE THE TERMS OF OUR RELATIONSHIP."

Dolores was never pleased by tardiness. Tully had completely forgotten the dinner scheduled for this evening. Tully was supposed to be meeting Dolores's Aunt Tillie. Family dinners weren't really Tully's forte. Growing up in London's pureblood society had given Tully a fill of dinner parties, soirees, and seasons.

"She sounds happy," Minerva said as she wiped the dust from her eyes. "You might want to send in a trained negotiator first to talk her down before she kills any hostages."

Tully started laughing and Minerva joined him. Her eyes were sleepy. They were both tired. Minerva bought a bottle of wine from the dining car and the spent the rest of the ride home discussing memories of Hogwarts.

* * *

When the train lurched to a stop Tully was reluctant to get off. The past few hours had been a relief. As he walked home from the station he realized he'd have to face Dolores in the morning. She insisted on eating their meals together whenever possible. Dolores preferred the upscale Giada's, a local hotspot for Ministry officials to hobnob. It was pricey and showy and guaranteed a run-in with the Ministry higher ups. It was everything Dolores wanted.

When he arrived home it was late. He hung his overcoat on the coat rack near the door. After brushing his teeth and laying out a suit for the morning he went into the sitting room for a nightcap.

"You could have fooled me," Slughorn's words echoed in his head.

As he drifted off to sleep he dreamed that was back at Hogwarts. His old four poster bed seemed small and his trunk seemed out of place. He was wearing smart looking black dress robes. As he walked along the familiar hallways of the school he realized he was heading to the Great Hall. There was music playing in the background. As soon as he entered he saw Dolores. She was pulling him onto the dance floor to join the waltz. Tully was reluctant to join but he gave in and the twirled endlessly around the floor.

As he passed the crowd he realized Minerva was standing near the dance floor watching him. He wanted to speak to her but Dolores was pulling him to the center of the floor. Each time they passed their eyes met.

"Why won't you dance with me?" He yelled across the floor to her.

"You haven't asked?" She replied.

"You weren't here," he said as he turned Dolores.

"I've been waiting here the whole time," she said.

He was trying to the leave the floor. He wasn't comfortable being the center of attention but Dolores was pushing him harder to the middle.

"Minerva!" He cried as he sat up in bed.

"Yes," she replied from a chair near the window.

Tully looked around the room. Light was coming through the window. Minerva was sitting in a small chair near the window. He was in his bedroom. He looked at his hands. They were clear. He wasn't dreaming.

"How long have you been here?" He asked as he ran his hand through his hair.

"I've been waiting here-" she started to say but his head snapped in her direction. She had just said that to him in his dream. "I've been waiting here for you to wake up. You didn't report to work this morning. It is nearly two."

"Why didn't anyone wake me?" Tully asked frantically. He wanted to get out of bed but he wasn't wearing any clothes. He would have to ask Minerva to leave. "What happened?"

"Having a good dream were you?" She asked with a smirk.

"I was dancing," he said as he strained to remember the details.

"Legilimency," Moody said as he walked through the doorway into the bedroom. He was carrying a strange device in his hands. It was metallic and approximately the size of a small paperback book. It had two small knobs on the end. "It is a Unfamiliar Magical Output Tracer. Someone was in your house. In your head." Moody concluded.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks again for reading! Thanks to June and aquatica for reviewing.

* * *

Tully adjusted his bowtie in the mirror and ran his hand along his hair again. Despite his best efforts to appear alert, he looked worn. Ever since waking up to the auror team sweeping his house he hadn't managed to sleep well. Minister Urquart had insisted on posting a Department of Magical Law Enforcement patrol officer at his house.

He was scheduled to meet Dolores for dinner in an hour. The officer would be accompanying Tully at the dinner. Dolores wasn't particularly fond of the addition. The two officers that had been guarding him were two young guys full of questions for a senior auror. Tully didn't mind having them around. They traded places every twelve hours.

As left the house he said a quick spell to seal the wards on his door. It was a lovely night. Tully had told Dolores he would meet her at the restaurant. Despite their engagement, Dolores refused to move in with Tully. She felt that his flat was not an appropriate dwelling for a ministry official. For the last three months she had been searching for a new home for the pair. Tully wanted to move to the country but Dolores preferred city life.

"McGonagall," a familiar voice said from the bottom of the stairs. Tully looked up to see Moody standing there. He was dressed in a nice jacket and tie. Moody was even wearing dress shoes. "Minister Urquart has requested that I accompany you instead of the officer."

* * *

Thirty minutes later Tully and Moody were enjoying a nice dinner together at a small upscale bistro in Diagon Alley. Dolores had refused to come along with Moody present. Since Moody's presence was not negotiable Dolores would have to spend date night alone. Moody felt terrible. He offered several times to contact Minister Urquart to make alternative plans but Tully insisted that the situation was fine.

"You're a better date," Tully said with a laugh as they enjoyed a bottle of wine. "Though you're not much to look at."

"I've never been here," Moody confessed. "It is very nice."

"You should invite your partner sometime," Tully said with a smirk.

"I'd say the same to you but it looks like somebody beat you to it," Moody responded as he sipped his wine.

Tully glanced casually behind himself to see his partner laughing at a table with Potter. He turned back to Moody and shrugged.

"Don't act like you're not bothered," Moody said with a coy smile.

"Honestly, what does she see in him?" Tully said with more gruff than he intended.

A waiter wandered past and dropped a basket of rolls at the table. Moody waited for the young man to walk away before he replied.

"He's a good guy," Moody said in earnest. " We served together in the war in the battle of Kursk."

Tully said nothing. He nonchalantly sipped his wine and set the glass back on the table slowly.

"He's not like those Ministry hacks that want a cushy job and a title," Moody went on. "He's here because he wants to make a difference." Tully cocked an eyebrow skeptically at Moody's words. "He wanted to be an auror." Moody continued. "But he's got a talent for law. You'll see. I know you'll come around."

They ate the remainder of their dinner in silence. When dessert came Tully finally broke the ice.

"Why did Urquart send you," Tully asked.

"Because I'm to escort you somewhere when we're done," Moody said with a whisper.

Tully took the hint and did not press the issue further.

* * *

After they finished eating they did not linger long. They gathered their hats and made a quick exit. On his way out he noted that his partner and Potter had already left.

Moody didn't explain where they were going. They pair walked along in an easy silence. They were heading out of Diagon Alley and into muggle London. Tully was thankful he'd chosen to wear a muggle suit for the occasion. As they passed through the Leaky Cauldron Tully was given a warm smile by Mundungus Fletcher. Dung had a soft spot for law enforcement that treated him right. He could always be counted on for information in a pinch- assuming you had treated him kindly in the past.

Outside the pub Moody hailed a muggle taxi. The two men climbed in the car and Moody gave the driver the address. They were headed for a house in Greenwich. Thirty minutes later they arrived outside of a well-kept brick townhome. Moody paid the cabbie and they approached the door. Moody entered without knocking and Tully followed him inside.

There were no lights on in the house. No one appeared to be home. In fact, there was no furniture to speak of anywhere in the home. Moody headed straight for the fireplace where a small jar of floo powder sat on the mantle. Moody handed Tully a small handful and told him the location they were traveling to was called Peverell Manor.

* * *

After a short jolt of a ride Tully emerged coughing into the sitting room of a stately home. The room was dark but there was light coming through a great archway at the end of the room. Tully noticed there was beautiful antique furniture and ornate tapestries on the walls.

Moody steered Tully to the archway and into a grand dining hall. There was a long dining table made of African Blackwood. A large crystal chandelier hung gracefully above the table. Tully glanced around and noticed that group from the Pinelli investigation was seated around the table. Tully took a seat next to Minerva.

"You look nice," he whispered. "Did you have a date?"

"Dinner," she replied shortly. "With a friend."

Minister Urquart cleared his throat and the two quieted down. The group discussed the body and the note at length. The boys from the Hit Wizard division weren't too forthcoming about the nature and scope of Miss Watts' involvement with the department. Moody was getting frustrated. Amelia was rapping her nails on the table.

"You wore that to dinner with a friend?" Tully said in a barely audible whisper to his partner. He couldn't resist the opportunity to get in a dig at her.

"Since when do you care what I wear?" She whispered back as she kept her eyes on Minister Urquart.

"I don't care," he whispered hastily. "But your friend might. Lawyers tend to make assumptions."

This caught her attention. She turned to look at him.

"I never told you who I was at dinner with," she said in a dangerously low voice.

"Do you two have something you wish to share with the group?" Minister Urquart said sharply.

"Yes," Minerva said quickly. She explained to the others the information they had gathered on their recent trip to Hogwarts. She left out her conversation with Dumbledore. He still had not sent an owl and until he did she would keep their conversation secret.

"Do you think this is a blood cult?" Yaxley asked. "We've never had any evidence linking the Pinelli's to blood cults."

"Salvatore Pinelli, no," Bilius Weasley said. "But he's in Azkaban. The new head of the family might feel differently."

A debate broke out amongst the group. Blood cults were dangerous and rare. Although blood cults typically employed many tactics of organized crime they were much more dangerous. Cult members could not be bought off, convinced, bargained, or reasoned with. Cult members were fanatical. They weren't interested in money or power. They were only interested in the cause.

"Settle down," Urquart said sharply to get the attention of the room. The chatter stopped instantly. "Deputy Thomas and I have assignments for you."

Recently a rare opal necklace had disappeared from Borgin and Burke's. It was cursed. It was also a Class A illegal item. Borgin and Burke's was legally able to own the necklace but it could not be sold. Auror Shacklebolt had received a tip from a source that the necklace had disappeared from the display case. The only family wealthy enough to purchase a Class A illegal item was the Pinelli family.

Moody and Bones were to canvass Knockturn Alley to pinpoint when the item went missing. McGonagall and Black were going to try their luck at the shop in morning. Shacklebolt would watch his sources in vice closely for any leads. Scrimgeour and Vance from Major Case would be combing through the Pinelli family books to look for any major financial dealings that could be masking the purchase of the necklace.

It was late so Minister Urquart adjourned the meeting and wished them all luck with their assignments in the morning.

"And thank you, Potter," Urquart said on his way to the floo, "for allowing us the use of your home."

"This is his house?" Tully whispered to Minerva.

"Yes," Potter said having heard Tully's comment. "Please stay and join us for a drink."

"Us?" Tully mouthed to Minerva as he followed her into the library. She rolled her eyes.

* * *

Once inside the library Potter poured drinks for the group. Moody had accompanied the group and it seemed everyone was aware of Tully's protection detail.

The library was vast. Large bookcases filled with ancient tomes stretched from the floor to the ceiling. There were enormous two-story latticed windows with long drapes. Tully sat down next to Moody on a small chaise longue across from Minerva and Potter.

"So you live here?" Tully asked Potter.

"Yes," Potter responded. "Peverell Manor. It has been in my family for generations. I inherited the estate after my father died. It is rumored to have been the home of Ignotus Peverell."

"It is quite nice," Tully said as he looked out the large windows. The moon was bright and he could see out into the grounds.

"Why wasn't I told the meeting location?" Tully asked bluntly. Potter averted his eyes. Moody said nothing. Minerva looked at the two and then decided she would break the silence.

"I don't know," Minerva said uneasily. "That is to say, I don't know for sure. Minister Urquart contacted each of us individually. It is possible he thought, with the recent incident, that perhaps Moody escorting you was safer."

She was referring to the recent break in. Someone had broken into his home. Someone had cast a legilimency spell. Nothing was stolen except memories. Tully had no recollection of what was taken. The intruder had left Tully completely unharmed and Tully had been unable to recall what he'd been dreaming about.

"So I'm a liability?" Tully questioned.

"No one's saying that," Potter said in a reassuring voice. "If Minister Urquart thought you were a liability he would have excluded you from the meeting."

Tully took Potter's words to heart. The man had a point. He wouldn't have been given private information if there was a risk it would be revealed. The investigation was Minister Urquart's highest priority. The team had spent the better part of three years working to bring down the Pinelli family. They wouldn't take any chances at this point.

"So Mr. Tulius McGonagall," Potter said as he leaned across Minerva to grab the bottle of scotch. "I hear you are looking for new lodgings?"

"Yes," McGonagall replied. "My fiancée would like to find a new home before we're married."

"In London?" Potter pried.

"Perhaps," Tully replied. "We're not exactly sure where."

"Jameson Greengrass recently died," Potter said as he took a small swig of his drink. "The family is drowning in debt. His estate is for sale. It would be a nice home to raise a family in."

This peaked Tully's interest. He desperately wanted a country home. He had no desire to raise his children in the heart of London's pureblood society class. However, Dolores wanted a home that would be suitable for a ministry official. Perhaps the Greengrass estate would be the best of both worlds.

"I'm curious Mr. Potter," Tully began to say.

"Please, " Potter interjected, "call me Seamus."

"Seamus," Tully continued. "Tell me about the estate."

The Greengrass family was an old wizarding family with strong ties to the community. The Greengrass estate was located outside of Godric's Hollow. The house itself was large and fortified. It included lodgings for up to 18 guests. There were three state rooms in the home where the Greengrass family had hosted the Serbian Minister of Magic and numerous other important guests. There was a ballroom, a cigar closet, and a billiards room.

The grounds featured stables, an archery green, and whimsical gardens. The Greengrass family had employed the renowned landscape herbologist Michel Spahr to redesign the gardens in 1921.

"I could arrange a meeting for you with his daughter," Seamus offered. "She's looking to sell. It would be a great home for someone in Ministry brass."

The grandfather clock near the door chimed twelve times. It was late. In the morning Tully and Minerva would be serving a warrant to Borgin and Burke's store.

"We've got papers to serve tomorrow," Tully said to Potter. "I shall take my leave."

* * *

They would not be able to floo home. Instead, they would have to walk to the edge of the property's wards and apparate back to London. Minerva had offered to escort Moody and Tully to a safe apparition point. The three walked out of the library and into a grand entrance hall with marble columns.

They walked out through the front entrance and down a stone path toward an iron gate lined with neatly trimmed hedges. In the distance there were lights from a small village.

"Where are we exactly?" Tully asked as he pointed to the village.

"Godric's Hollow," Minerva answered as she waved her hand and the iron gate opened. They walked along a small path toward a large Dule tree.

"You'll be safe here," Minerva said as she nodded to the two men.

"You won't be apparating back to London with us?" Tully said with a hint of accusation toward his partner.

"Goodnight," Minerva said avoiding the question. She turned on her heel and walked back toward the house.

"He's got a big house," Tully shouted after her. " I'm sure he'll make a great Minister of Magic."

Minerva refused to show any sign that she heard his words and kept her body rigid.

Moody gave a look to Tully and with a small _pop_ the two men were off to London.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **I apologize for the long delay. Thanks again for reading and special thanks to Aquatica and Travelin-Thru for reviewing. In addition, thanks to all who have followed the story! The investigation is officially under way now and things are going to start heating up. Also, the list of "Elite Families" included is intended to be an earlier list (I give the date as 1903 instead of the 1930s). I felt the cannon list would be too limiting for the story.

**September 22, 1951**

It was a cold day. The wind was blowing. The leaves were falling. And Commissioner Urquart was reminding his Aurors that the scope of their warrant applied only to the necklace. Any other illegal items within the shop were strictly off limits.

"This isn't our first Quidditch game," Moody growled.

"You will be respectful. Polite," Urquart said firmly as he addressed his team. "Smile."

"And if you find something, I'm your next stop," Potter reminded the team. " You don't set foot in a home without a warrant." He eyed Bones with his last statement. "I don't want this case mucked up due to a technicality."

During their initial investigation of the Pinelli family, Bones had blasted open a lock box in one of the Pinelli front businesses. The box was suspicious. Inside were number of illegal poisons. However, the warrant to search the business didn't cover illegal poisons. Although the poisons had been used in a murder, the Ministry wasn't able to use the evidence during the trial.

The four aurors would be accompanied by six Magical Law Enforcement Patrol officers. The officers would be assisting in the search. Their involvement had been hotly contested. Minister Urquart trusted the Patrol Squad Captain Bob Ogden . But Ogden's men couldn't be trusted. There had been several leaks made from within the ranks. As a compromise, Ogden's men weren't briefed on the operation. They were unaware of where they would be going.

As Urquart finished his briefing he wished them the best of luck. If they could find out who was behind the purchase of the necklace it might lead them to the new head of the Pinelli family.

* * *

The aurors and patrol officers walked quickly through Knockturn Alley. Although they were in plain clothes, the patrons and shop owners knew they were from the Ministry. It was a Saturday and the street was fairly busy. When the aurors begin walking, the street cleared quickly. As they passed, shops locked their doors.

"That was Billy Tate," officer Montez said as the passed the apothecary. "He's got a warrant out for-"

"For theft," Black said as she cut off Montez sharply. "Keep walking. We've got bigger game to hunt."

When they arrived at the store, it was nearly deserted. There was one elderly woman browsing a section on books who looked older than Merlin himself. She didn't seem bothered by the aurors. There was a young man working the counter. He was thin with black hair. His fingers were thin and his eyes were sunken.

"Good morning," He said with a greasy smile. "How may I assist you?"

Bones and Black exchanged glances. They weren't used to anyone in Knockturn Alley asking to assist an auror. McGonagall handed the warrant to the young man and then asked to see the necklace and the last three months worth of financial records.

"The financial records are available in the office. I can let you in to view them. However, I can't produce the necklace your warrant asks for," he said.

"Why?" McGonagall asked. "Where is the necklace?"

"The necklace was moved to Master Declan Holver's for restoration," the clerk said. "It is scheduled to take two months."

"Is Mister Borgin or Mister Burke available?" Bones asked.

"My employers are on a trip to Belgium," the clerk said. "They are looking to purchase a set of sixteenth century alchemy books."

Bones began searching through the financial records . If the necklace had been removed for restoration there would have to be some financial proof. Moody went back to the Ministry to track down an address and warrant for Master Holver. McGonagall and Black stayed to question the clerk.

The clerk, Tom Riddle, was dusting a small silver music box. He was looking down at the box as he spoke with the Aurors. They asked him some general questions about the store and the store's relationship with Master Holver. Next, they shifted the conversion to the necklace.

"Mr. Riddle," Tully said, "Could you tell when the necklace was shipped out?"

"It was picked up by Master Holver several weeks ago," Riddle answered coolly. "We would never trust an owl to carry something that precious."

"Precious?" Tully asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Very," Riddle said firmly. "Yes, it is dangerous."

For the first time during the questioning, Riddle looked up at the Aurors. His eyes were cold and piercing. Tully felt a chill when their eyes met. It was like Riddle was looking right through his eyes and into his soul. His mouth grew dry. He was unable to form a response. There were flashes of faces, snippets of conversations, and short memories that darted through his mind. Using all of his willpower, Tully broke eye contact with Riddle.

"That necklace is over two hundred years old," Riddle said passionately. "It was owned by Madame du Barry . It is a piece of our history."

Tully swallowed hard. "Our history" was a phrase commonly used by blood purists. They feared the customs and history of the wizarding world were at risk of being lost. As the Muggle world and the wizarding world became increasingly intertwined more witches and wizards opted to adopt Muggle clothing, transportation, and devices. During the war with Grindelwald, his supporters had undertaken great risk to protect historical wizarding artifacts, books, and art from the destruction of the Muggle war. Borgin and Burkes had provided a refuge for many of these illegal items after the war ended.

Tully was flabbergasted and disgusted by Riddle's pride in this fact. He was unable to form words. Minerva took charge of the questioning.

"Mr. Riddle," she said steadily. "Why was the necklace being restored? Why now?"

"My employers recognized the historic value of the piece," Riddle stated smugly. "We are preserving history, Miss Black."

"Why was Master Holven chosen to restore the necklace?" She asked.

"His skill for restoration is renowned," Riddle replied. "Your family has used his services countless times. I would have assumed you knew of his work."

"You seem to know an awful lot about this," she replied. She paused before adding, "For a shop boy." Minerva might have been considered a blood traitor, but she wasn't going to allow anyone to insult her.

Riddle looked at Black for a moment without saying a word. Although he was smiling, it was a cold smile.

"It appears, Miss Black," he said without blinking. "That you seem to still possess a profound attitude of pureblood superiority." Riddle paused and then added, "for an outcast."

Tully gripped the upper part of Minerva's arm. He was ready to leave. He still felt ill after making eye contact with Riddle. She could sense his discomfort. With a curt nod the pair exited the shop.

Once outside, Minerva noticed that Tully was visibly upset. He looked pale. They started walking back to Diagon Alley. Tully wanted to be as far from Riddle as possible before speaking. Although he was no expert, Tully had a suspicion that Riddle had entered his thoughts.

* * *

"Nothing?" Yaxley spat as he listened to the report on the search of Borgin and Burkes. It had been several days since the search at the shop.

"The shop owners are out of the country," McGonagall explained. "The necklace is out for restoration. Suspicious, but not illegal."

"Has anyone seen the necklace?" Yaxley asked.

"There was the clerk," Black replied as she flipped through a small notebook that held her case notes. "Mr. Tom Riddle. He lives above Mulpepper's. According to him the owners will be back in a few weeks."

"I will have a warrant to search Master Holver's shop in a few days," Potter added. He hoped this warrant would lead to something. It had been a disappointing day for everyone involved.

"I'm assigning Black and McGonagall to carry out the warrant on Holver next week," Commissioner Urquart commanded. "And I think you all are going to want to hear what Scrimgeour and Vance have discovered."

"We spent the day combing through the Pinelli financial records and I think we might have a lead," Vance said calmly. "Over the past few weeks they've made large payments for party supplies. This includes food, wine, bartending services, and so on."

"So the Pinelli's like to get together," Weasley said bluntly, "It's not a crime. I don't see where you're going with this."

"These parties coincide with a high number of muggle disappearances," Vance continued. "After consulting with Auror Shacklebolt we learned that the Pinelli's are now leading the way in muggle trafficking. They aren't parties. They're auctions."

"They recently made a number of large payments to a catering company for an event to be held at Malfoy Manor," Rufus Scrimgeour added. " We'd like a warrant."

"Halloween," Tully said to himself. "They're planning for Halloween."

The group turned to look at McGonagall. Yaxley was nodding in agreement with Tully.

"The annual Malfoy Halloween gala," Yaxley said in agreement. "It would provide a host of people willing to buy muggles. And the perfect cover."

"A warrant won't work," Minerva added as she considered the plan.

She was right. It would be impractical to proceed with a warrant. The Malfoy Halloween gala was a annual event attended by many witches and wizards. It would be impossible to tell who was participating in the muggle slave trade and who was there just for the gala. They would also need to have evidence of purchase.

"We could place a number of individuals on the inside," Potter suggested.

"That will prove difficult," Vance stated. "We obtained a preliminary guest list. All sacred families."

Elite families were a group of families that had been certified as pureblood. In 1903 a list had been published naming 56 pureblood families. In the last 20 years that list had dropped to less than 30 families. This discovery supported the theory that there was blood cult involvement.

Minister Urquart looked around the table. There were a number of individuals from sacred families in the group. However, not all sacred families associated with one another. Minister Urquart was muggle born. He didn't know, or care, about blood status or breeding. In truth, he couldn't tell the difference between a Bones and a Black.

"Let's assume my invitation was lost in the mail," Bilius Weasley laughed. It was common knowledge that the Weasley clan did not associate with Malfoy family.

"I will be on stakeout," Kingsley said. "I cannot attend."

Potter, despite being from an elite family, would certainly not be invited. He'd prosecuted too many of Malfoy's associates to warrant an invitation.

"Someone might wonder if I show up with McGonagall," Yaxley said with a smirk. Tully flashed a grin at Yaxley. He'd certainly make better company than Dolores. She reveled in pureblood social parties. It was the perfect environment for her to rub elbows. However, Tully wasn't comfortable bringing Dolores into a potentially dangerous environment. Even if he were to go alone, Dolores could find out. If she did, he would be in hot water.

"Dismissed," Urquart said sternly. "Black, Yaxley, Vance, Scrimgeour. I need to see you about your paperwork."

Urquart waited patiently for the team to clear out. Once the group was gone, Urquart turned the floor over to Emmeline Vance.

"We asked you to stay behind because we think you'd be the best option to go in," Vance stated.

"That's impossible," Minerva said as she shook her head.

"I'm a friend of the family," Yaxley said to Urquart. "He usually issues an invitation. However, I want to make clear that I am uncomfortable attending."

Both Yaxley and Black looked quite uncomfortable with the situation. Urquart noticed this. However, this revelation about the guest list could be their only way in.

"Sir, I don't think this is a good idea," Black said with difficulty.

"This could raise suspicion," Yaxley agreed.

"Explain," Urquart said as he eyed the pair. "You're an elite family. Black's and Malfoy's are close. Why is this a problem?"

"I'm a pariah, sir," Black explained. "I don't care to go into detail, but I'm considered a blood-traitor. A pureblood defector. A muggle-lover. Many would find it highly unusual if I were to suddenly re-enter pureblood society."

"I'm still missing the pariah part." Urquart said as he shook his head. "Your partner favors Muggle equality but is still a member of pureblood society. I will never understand how it works."

"Black's case here is a little different," Yaxley explained.

"Thank you, Yaxley," Minerva interjected, trying to cut him off.

"While it is frowned upon, it is not grounds for expulsion to hold a Pro-Muggle viewpoint," Yaxley explained. "And although many wizarding males have relationships with muggle females, the same freedoms are not granted to witches in pureblood society. They are M.F.T.s."

"Thank you, Yaxley," Minerva repeated harshly.

"What is an M.F.T.?" Urquart asked out of curiosity.

"A muggle-fucking tart," Yaxley answered trying to suppress a grin as he glanced at Minerva. She was pale and looked like she was about to vomit. He'd pay for saying that, he knew, but he always laughed at how her feathers were ruffled.

"In light of the gripping revelation," Urquart said shortly, wishing he'd never asked his previous question. "Can we make this work?"

"Sir," Yaxley asked, "I'd like to ask around. Perhaps I can ask Malfoy if I could invite Black. Test the water. Then we can make a decision about attending."

Urquart agreed to the their plan. Yaxley would send out a test balloon. They had close to two months to set up a relationship cover. If they played their cards right, Minerva might be welcomed back into the arms of the Black family.

* * *

Tully, Moody, and Bones were sitting together at the pub for their usual Friday evening happy hour. The group wasn't planning to stay long. The place was packed. The Department of International Magical Cooperation had just received word that the proposed free trade agreement with the Wizarding Republic of Kashmir had been approved. The place was lined wall to wall with officials celebrating.

"Where's your partner?" Amelia yelled above the music.

Tully shrugged. Minerva had been on her way out of the office when Minister Urquart had pulled her aside to review her report on the execution of the search warrant. Urquart lived by the book. He expected all of his Aurors to follow his example. Reports were due on time. Paperwork was kept in order. And above all else, investigations always followed the law. Minerva was arguably the most precise in her paperwork. It was usually Moody that got stuck after class making corrections.

Tully felt a little like a third wheel when he was with Bones and Moody. There was no romantic relationship between the pair. However, their relationship could easily be construed as romantic. It happened to partners over time. Moody and Bones had been partners for several years. They had come up through the Auror Corp. training program together. Before that, the two had spent their post-Hogwarts years serving together in the Great Wizarding War. Tully suspected there was a deeper relationship between the pair than they portrayed to others.

An hour later Moody and Bones were deep in discussion regarding recent legislation of racing broom manufacturing. Tully was lost in his own thoughts. He'd spent the week trying to gather information about Tom Riddle. Something about Riddle had unsettled Tully. Since their meeting, Tully had tried to find if Riddle had any training in legilimency.

Tully was interrupted from his thoughts by someone placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Potter standing near the table. He was dressed in a muggle suit and tie. Moody motioned for Potter to sit down. He slid into the booth next to Moody and ordered a drink.

"Where's your partner?" Potter asked McGonagall.

"We thought she was with you," Tully said. He knew that the pair was planning to go to the theatre. "She must still be back at the office."

"What's bothering you?" Potter asked Tully. He could see the man was upset about something. "Is it the case?"

"I'm tired," Tully lied. "Lots going on with the wedding and such." The truth was that all he could think about was Tom Riddle. Tully wasn't comfortable sharing his revelation with the group yet. Even his partner was in the dark on this one.

Tully groaned internally when Potter sat down next to him. Tully couldn't explain his dislike for the man. Potter was friendly and well liked by Tully's friends. Although had only recently met, Tully had heard a great deal about Potter from Black, Bones, and Moody. In truth, Tully didn't want to admit what he knew was true. Potter wasn't all that different from Tully. Both were from old pureblood families. They both shared similar a similar political ideology. Both were ministry employees with promising careers ahead of them. Although Potter was roughly ten years younger than Tully, he was already making waves at the Ministry.

The only thing Tully didn't like about Potter was that somehow he'd manage to capture the attention of a woman like Minerva. There weren't a lot of women like her and Bones at the Ministry. Tully had spent the better part of the last decade meeting well-to-do debutantes that wanted nothing more than the a traditional pureblood marriage. Pureblood society marriages often resulted in the couple producing an heir, a spare, and then leaving each other alone.

Tully was jealous. Potter and Minerva wouldn't admit they were an item, but Tully knew better. Truth be told, he'd gotten the scoop from Moody. In a few years they'd be happily shacked up and Tully would be living alone while Dolores used his money and name to live the life she always wanted.

He didn't mind Dolores. She was a respectable young woman. She was attractive, career focused, and his parents were fond of her. He stared blindly at Bones and Moody as they talked. As he watched them they seemed happy, truly happy with one another. He decided then and there that if he ever met a woman like Bones or Minerva he'd leave Dolores.

"I said when is the wedding?" Potter said loudly as Tully snapped back to reality. Bones and Moody stopped talked to look at Tully.

"Are you alright?" Moody asked out of concern. It was unlike Tully to lose focus. Now, it happened twice in one night.

"I'm going to get some fresh air," Tully said as he stood up to step outside.

* * *

Just after dark, Yaxley rounded off from Diagon Alley and through the archway into Knockturn Alley. There was a gentleman's club called the Serpent's Folly. It offered private parlors for both witches and wizards. There was also a co-ed parlor, overnight lodgings, and a billiards room.

Yaxley rarely attended these sorts of clubs. However, his blood status afforded him membership and he knew Malfoy frequented the location. This club was distinct compared to the typical pubs, bistros, and pool halls located throughout the area. Many of wizarding hot spots had modernized after the Great Wizarding War. More and more establishments were offering Muggle drinks, dishes, and entertainment options.

The Serpent's Folly was an exception to this rule. It still featured traditional wizarding lighting and decor. All alcohol served at the establishment was produced by wizarding distilleries and breweries. There were no muggle entertainment options. Traditional wizarding billiards were available. In addition, a strict wizarding attire only dress code was enforced. Finally, the club only admitted purebloods or specially permitted guests of pureblooded patrons.

Once inside, Yaxley checked his coat with one of the coat check boys at the counter.. After Hogwarts, Yaxley had spent a great deal of time at the club. It was a natural place for a young Slytherin to schmooze with Ministry big shots. After the war, Yaxley had drifted away from the pureblood society crowd. If he remembered correctly, Malfoy was usually found upstairs in a private bar reserved for elite club members.

Sure enough, Malfoy was upstairs in the private bar. Malfoy's signature look involved bold colors for his robes. Tonight he was wearing a crimson set of robes. They were high collared and contrasted well with the his light skin and pale hair. He smiled coyly when he noticed Yaxley. With a small wave, Malfoy directed Yaxley to the seat on his left.

"I haven't seen you here for some time," Malfoy said ordered Yaxley a drink. "Allow me to introduce my associate, Tom Riddle."

Yaxley nodded to a the young man. Yaxley knew Riddle from his time at Hogwarts. The two men were housemates, but from different years. Riddle had always seemed aloof. Yaxley had been two years ahead of Riddle and didn't recall much of the man. Yaxley had been captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team his final two years of school and a Prefect. He was frequently busy. He vaguely remembered Riddle seemed to keep to himself and his close circle of friends.

"What brings here, Yaxley?" Malfoy asked. "You haven't been here in ages."

"I'm waiting for a date," Yaxley said. Malfoy grinned. This was all part of Yaxley's plan. He would pretend to be waiting for Minerva and meet later for drinks. It was their test balloon. If all went well, then Yaxley and Minerva would be infiltrating the Malfoy Halloween Gala.

"A date?" Malfoy pried.

"Yes," Yaxley said gruffly as he played with an ice cube in his drink. "What brings you here?"

Malfoy smiled wider. Yaxley wanted him to think he was trying to avoid the question.

"Are you meeting your date here?" Malfoy asked with a hint of curiosity.

"No," Yaxley responded. "None of your business."

Malfoy purchased a round of shots for his group and raised one to Yaxley.

"Here's to your date," he smirked. He slammed the shot and looked back to Yaxley. "Why are you being so coy? Don't tell me she's a Muggle."

"None of your business," Yaxley repeated.

The three men sat in silence for a moment. Yaxley continued to stare at his drink. He didn't care to look around at the sleazy environment of the private room. The wealthy and power purebloods with perverse inclinations loved this place. There were vices to suit all perversions. Alcohol, illicit substances, gambling, and high priced escorts were easy to come by.

"You work with her," Riddle said coldly without looking up from his drink. Suddenly it clicked. Yaxley didn't care for Riddle because he had a knack for reading people. He'd have made a great asset to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but Riddle had never been interested in a career with the Ministry.

"And if I do?" Yaxley said, accepting the bait.

"You've got to stick away from those Ministry tarts, old boy," Malfoy chided. "They're all society hopefuls there with one purpose- to find marry a man, such as yourself," he raised his drink to Yaxley, "In hopes of bettering their blood status. We're a dying breed Yaxley."

"She's not like that," Yaxley grunted.

"So what is she like then?" Malfoy pried, his eyes greedy for information. "One of those career girls? Please don't tell me it is that Bones woman." He laughed coldly. "Or worse-Black's sister. What a cock-up that was when she left home."

"Oi!" Robert Black slurred as he stumbled next to Yaxley. "Watch what you say about her. She might be a muggle-fucking tart but she's my sister."

Black took a swig of his drink and slammed the tumbler down roughly on the bar counter. Yaxley could smell the heavy scent of alcohol. His eyes were red and hazy and he was leaning heavily on the bar. Robert Black was Minerva's younger brother. Yaxley hadn't counted on Black being present. Perhaps this could provide an advantage to his situation.

"Yassley," Robert slurred. "Haven't seen you in ages. Why are you here?"

"He's got a date," Malfoy explained with a smirk. "Apparently he works with her at the Ministry. And he doesn't want to bring her around here. I, for one, would like to meet her. I promise I won't bite."

"No thank you," Yaxley said shortly. He continued to sip his drink. He had to be careful how he proceeded.

"Are you worried we'll scare her off?" Malfoy chided.

"Hardly," Yaxley said as he met Malfoy's eyes. "She can handle herself. She's an Auror."

Malfoy's eyebrows shot up. This wasn't the typical type of woman Yaxley was known for being involved with. Malfoy racked his brain but couldn't remember the names of female Aurors. He scanned the room and spotted John Alton leaning against the wall near the door. Malfoy got his attention and Alton shuffled over to the bar.

"Yaxley, I believe you know John Alton," Malfoy said as he introduced Alton. "John here's an Auror."

Yaxley knew John would be able to pinpoint all the female Aurors as there weren't many in the department. Alton smiled and gave Malfoy all the information he needed to here.

"Well there's Bones," Alton said.

"Yaxley wouldn't be caught dead with her," Malfoy asserted. "He knows better."

"Fox Vance's daughter," Alton added, "But she's engaged."

"That hasn't stopped me before," Yaxley shrugged.

"She not the type," Alton declared. "McKinnon is on assignment abroad. Bursnell, who's not into wizards," Alton winked deviously, "And Black's muggle-fucking tart of a sister."

"And what if it your sister?" Yaxley said seriously as he eyed Black. "What then?"

Robert's eyes were bleary and he was leaning heavily on the bar. But when he made eye contact with Yaxley he snapped. Within seconds, Yaxley was pinned down against the bar.

"Are you using her?" Robert spat. "She's not some floozy. You hear me? She might be blood traitor but she's still a Black."

"And you might be a Black but you are still a drunk," A voice said from behind. Standing in the doorway was Minerva. And to Yaxley's surprise she had forgone her muggle-inspired attire and wore fully acceptable, designer, wizarding attire.

"Let him go Bobby," Minerva said calmly.

"This place has gone so downhill," Yaxley heard someone murmur from across the room.

"Well, well, well," Malfoy smiled. "Minerva Black. I'm surprised they let you in the door."

"Let's go," she said calmly, ignoring Malfoy's statement.

Robert loosened his grip on Yaxley. He stood and straightened his robes. Yaxley finished his drink, nodded to Malfoy, and made towards the door.

Riddle caught his shoulder on the way out and whispered "Watch for my owl."

Outside the temperature had dropped. Yaxley was buttoning his coat when he found himself facing Minerva. She tugged the sides of coat to pull him closer, before planting a chaste kiss on his lips.

"They're still watching," she whispered.

"I can't believe that worked," he responded as they linked arms and headed down the street. Once out of sight, they went their separate ways. They were off to good start with their plot. However, they hadn't noticed Bill Weasley walking out of the pub across the street. He was in disguise waiting for a target. But the target hadn't shown so Weasley decided to call it a night. But he would have one last stop before heading home.

* * *

Across town, Tully McGonagall was leaning against the wall outside of the pub. He was startled by a _crack _as Bill Weasley appeared in front of him.

"Mr. Weasley," Tully nodded. "Fancy a drink?"

"No, thank you," Weasley replied. "I thought I'd make you aware that I just witnessed your partner coming out of the Serpent's Folly."

Tully laughed. It was a known dark wizard-supporting hang out. Minerva would never set foot in a place like that. In addition, he knew she wouldn't be welcome.

"They'd never let her in," Tully responded with a chuckle.

"She was with Yaxley," Weasley said seriously. "Snogging Yaxley."

"Why are you telling me this?" Tully asked defensively, "I don't care who she sees. It's not like were married."

"That's not what I'm implying," Weasley said. "We've had cracks before from within the Ministry. Her family has ties to a lot of dark wizards. I just thought you should know maybe all those family ties aren't severed."

Weasley turned and disappeared into the night. Tully slunk down against the wall and sat on the pavement. It was probably a misunderstanding. He would ask her when he saw her next.

_"But what would she think of me? _" He thought to himself.

He didn't have long to think when none other than Minerva rounded the corner.

"What kept you?" He said harsher than he had intended.

"I received an owl from Professor Dumbledore," she replied.

"I don't care," he added, overcompensating, "But Potter was asking and I-"

"And what did you say?" She asked as her eyes narrowed.

"I shrugged," he said, suddenly nervous at the way she was looking at him.

"Will you tell him you forgot I had a meeting with Dumbledore," she asked. "That's where I was."

Minerva hadn't told Potter about her plan with Yaxley. They weren't a couple. But they had been exclusively more than friends for quite some time. She was worried that by explaining her plan to Potter she would scare him off. In addition, she was equally worried that if he found out he would be also be upset.

"Are you asking me to lie for you?" Tully asked with a hint of concern. Minerva had never asked Tully to cover for her. Usually Moody was the one asking for an alibi.

"No," Minerva said shortly, "Of course not. I had a meeting with Dumbledore. I swear. I just don't want him to think I was avoiding him."

* * *

**Earlier That Day**

Minerva was just packing up leave after her meeting with Urquart. She wasn't exactly keen on the plan. It could easily backfire. Faking a relationship with Yaxley would be difficult for both of their friends to accept. They would try the pureblood circle first. There was no use lying to their friends at the Ministry if the plan was going to fail. However, that meant keeping their false relationship secret until it was solidified with Yaxley's old friends.

She was putting on her jacket to leave when a small owl popped through and dropped a note. There was familiar loopy handwriting on the note that she recognized as Dumbledore's.

_5:50 PM. The Mysterious Death of Varian Gamp: Death or Transfiguration? 3 Galleons. 8 Knuts. _

She thought for a moment. There was a time, an item, and a price listed in the note. She snapped her fingers and she realized the cryptic message. She was to meet Dumbledore at Flourish and Blott's near that book's location.

It was already 5:28. She would have to move fast to make it on time. She had to meet Yaxley later to test their first encounter with his friends. She grabbed the door handle and rounded the corner quickly right into her boss, Commissioner Urquart.

"Auror Black," he greeted.

"Sir," she said nervously. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"That's quite alright," he said as he helped her gather the contents of her briefcase that were now strewn about the floor. "May I see you in your office?"

She smiled weakly and they retreated to her office. She was always embarrassed about the boss stepping in. Minerva was a very organized person. Her files were neatly arranged and she kept detailed notes on her cases. On the other hand, Tully was more of a free spirit when it came to organization. In addition, he had a nasty habit of leaving half-eaten sandwiches, dirty cups, and partially smoked cigars on his desk.

"Is there something I can help you with, Sir?" She asked.

"I just wanted to say that I hold no opinions about what Mister Yaxley said earlier," he said softly. Urquart was such a keen man. He'd been an excellent Auror in his day. He could pick up on the slightest change in human behavior.

"You seemed uncomfortable," he said to relax her. "Your personal life is your personal life. This is 1951. You are an accomplished Auror. A war veteran. And an intelligent woman. I know plenty of the men around here have had their fair share of Muggle encounters. Why I recall back during my tour in Italy I was quite enthralled with a certain local Muggle woman."

"Um, Sir," she said hesitantly. "Thank you, I don't think-"

"Sorry, I'm rambling," Urquart said sheepishly. "I just wanted to say that regardless of Yaxley's comment, my opinion of you remains unchanged."

"Thank you, Sir," she said quickly. "Have a nice weekend."

Minerva left as quickly as she could, trying desperately to put the conversation with Urquart out of her head. She needed to meet Dumbledore. She did not need to think about Elphinstone Urquart and a young Italian woman. As she walked outside of the Ministry she shook the thought from her head and disappeared with a _crack. _


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Thanks so much for reading, reviewing, and following. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Minerva flipped back and forth through a series of letters Dumbledore gave her. He had instructed her to keep them safe. Outside the wind was howling. It was nights like this that she missed her family's ancestral country home in Godric's Hollow.

_Focus, Minerva. _She told herself.

Dumbledore's letters were pertinent to the case at hand. They were an overview of the painstaking research Dumbledore had gathered regarding blood cult activities in the last 50 years. It included possible members and suspected activities and crimes. It even included a money trail, which to Minerva's disgust, led back to several prominent pureblood families, including her own.

However, the one thing missing from Dumbledore's research was a connection between the Pinelli family and any blood cult activities. It was widely known that the Malfoy and Pinelli families were close. They shared financial interests in a variety of vices including brothels, racing Hippogriffs, poaching Golden Snidgets, and other crimes. However, there was no link Pinelli was a part of the blood cult activity. In fact, aside from recent events, the Pinelli family had always maintained a Pro-Muggle relations stance.

According to Dumbledore's research, there was a blood cult operating within the Army of Gellert Grindelwald. They were known to idolize the beliefs of Tannis Slytherin's Queen of the Serpent. It encouraged pureblood procreation via ritualistic orgies. Minerva's stomached turned. She hoped her parents hadn't been participants. Most of Grindelwald's followers had either been arrested or went silent following his downfall.

The most interesting part of Dumbledore's research was regarding the symbol found she had found on the body of a slain Ministry informant. When it appeared in green it indicated followers. When it appeared in black it indicated something marked by the group, or to take claim for activities, including murder. To Minerva's extreme disgust the mark was also used to mark recaptured blood traitors. There were directions on how to win over witches that had betrayed the cause of blood purity.

_The preservation of blood purity is of the utmost importance. Blood superiority will come through numbers. Procreation of the wizarding race shall be the grand undoing of the mudblood scourge. Pureblood witches are to be protected, at all costs, from the traps of miscegenation. _

Minerva shuddered. Dumbledore had only provided a snippet from their pureblood playbook. Minerva wasn't sure she wanted to see the rest of it. Dumbledore had obtained a copy of some blood purity literature after Grindelwald's downfall. They had planned another meeting in a few days but Minerva would have to find an excuse to leave London. Dumbledore claimed he had an informant on the inside and that, according to his informant, Noreen Watt's murder was a blood cult killing.

Shaking it out of her head she left the sitting room and headed into her bedroom. Pulling back the covers she sunk down into the warm flannel sheets. With the snap of her fingers the lights went out. Within moments, she was asleep.

* * *

Across town, Tully McGonagall was opening a letter from the Department of Magical Records. He had requested Tom Riddle's educational records. He was shocked to see no post-Hogwarts education given his impressive Hogwarts record. Apparently Riddle had been a prefect, Head Boy, and had even been awarded a special commendation. He'd been a Slytherin and had earned high marks on his N.E.W.T.s. It struck Tully as odd that someone so talented would be working as a shop boy in Knockturn Alley.

Tully also noticed that Riddle's post-Hogwarts paper trail disappeared until a year ago when he emerged working in Knockturn Alley. That meant for five years Riddle was off the grid somehow. No employment in wizarding U.K., no education at any U.K. institution, not even a tax record.

Tully didn't have long to mull over his thoughts. He was interrupted by a sharp rap on the door. He hollered "come in" and instantly regretted doing so. It was Dolores. If only he had checked first he could have cast a quick cleaning charm before she entered. He knew she would be disappointed in the state of his home.

"Hello dear," she said in her chirpy voice. "My, this place is a mess."

He stood up and met her in the foyer. She was dressed nicely, as usual, in a light pink suit with a matching hat. Tully envied how she always managed to be so well put together.

"I've got big news, darling," she smiled sweetly. "I've been promoted. Effective next Monday."

"That's wonderful!" He said as he planted a light kiss on her cheek.

"You'll smudge my makeup," she said shortly as she put her hand up to stop him.

The couple went into Tully's sitting room where Dolores was obviously perturbed by the numerous empty and half empty tumblers strewn about the room. She cast a quick cleansing charm before she sat down.

"I stopped by to see if we'd had any progress on the housing front?" She asked with a sickeningly sweet smile. "This wedding is growing ever closer. I'd like to know we have a home before everything is settled."

Tully shifted uncomfortably. His heart was focused on the case, not finding a home. He apologized but she looked disappointed.

"That's too bad," she said. "I was going to ask to stay but I see you've got a lot of work to do since you are so wrapped up in this case you can't even bother to look for one teensy weensy house with your beloved."

Tully stared at her blankly. This was the most frustrating part of their relationship. Dolores used sex to get what she wanted. Truth be told, after a yearlong courtship and months of engagement, they'd only made love a handful of times. Tully was ready to admit he was sexually frustrated. He found Dolores attractive and wanted to love her, physically and emotionally, but Dolores kept them at a distance.

"I'm meeting with executor of the Jameson Greengrass estate to inquire about their country home," Tully spit out quickly, remembering Potter's suggestion. To his surprise, it worked. Her beady eyes widened with greed at the thought of living in home formerly owned by the Greengrass family. It was the type of upscale home befitting a Ministry official. It was the start of the life Dolores had worked for.

Dolores moved to sit next to him. She ran her hand along his arm.

"I knew you wouldn't fail me darling," she said softly. "Hard work deserves to be rewarded."

She planted a light kiss on his nose and smiled as she unbuttoned the top button on his shirt. Tully laid his head back. It had been so long since they had shared any intimate time together.

"Dolores," he said as he brushed a piece of hair from her face. "Sweet pea, come to bed with me. I've missed you."

"Clean up you bedroom first," she said sternly as she sat back away from him. "You mustn't use silly pet names. Darling or dear will suffice."

Tully groaned internally. They were right back to it.

* * *

Back at Minerva's there was a dark figure glancing at the letter Dumbledore had left her. He'd been observing her home for several days. He'd finally felt comfortable enough to attempt entering, and he was glad he did. That meddling Dumbledore had been watching his activities. That meant someone was leaking information to Dumbledore. He would have to find the leak and stop it. Unfortunately, Dumbledore hadn't mentioned his source.

Tom Riddle sat down and glanced around at his surroundings. There were no photographs of the Black Family, but there were plenty of pictures of the disturbing Ministry scum she associated with. Riddle couldn't wait for the day that the likes of the Weasley, Bones, and McKinnon families paid for their crimes against blood was also a photograph of her, several other veterans, and Yaxley. It looked to be taken shortly after the Great Wizarding War.

He shuddered with excitement at the thought that she was seeing Yaxley. His heart swelled with pride for the man. Yaxley, a champion of the pureblood cause, would receive a hero's welcome from Riddle upon their next meeting. When Malfoy had first introduced Yaxley, Riddle had been skeptical. However, he was ready to admit he was wrong. "Keep them pure" was a key component of Riddle's philosophy. It meant keeping pureblood women within the pureblood community. Whether Yaxley had done so knowingly or by chance, he'd scored a victory for Riddle.

However, Riddle recalled his visit to her partner, McGonagall. She appeared quite frequently in his mind. It was typical for people closely associated with one another to feature prominently in the thoughts of one another. However, Riddle suspected there was more to it, but he couldn't be sure.

_One way to find out_. He smiled to himself and slipped silently through the shadows into Minerva's bedroom. He reminded himself to congratulate Yaxley the next time he saw him. She was quite a prize for the pureblood cause, he admitted, as he observed her sleeping.

With a soundless flick of his wand he was inside her mind. She rolled over onto her side and Riddle was having some difficultly accessing her thoughts. He waved his hand and she rolled onto her back. Her breathing relaxed and he faced no additional barriers.

Tully was laughing. His smile was wide. They were at the annual Ministry Yule Spectacular. This was their first year together as partners. It had been a rocky start. Tully had been unsure of working with such a young Auror. But Minerva had quickly proven herself a competent partner. She had managed to track down his service photograph from his time during the war. She'd had it framed with his war medals that had been sitting lose in his desk. It was thoughtful present.

The source of their laughter was Tully's gift to Minerva. Earlier that day he been scrambling to find a present for his girlfriend at the time. He stumbled into a gift shop along Diagon Alley and purchased her gift. While there, he noticed a cat toy that squeaked. He thought it would be a gag gift for his partner. He had the shop arrange wrapping the gifts, and had brought them along for the evening.

Moments earlier, Minerva had unwrapped her gift and quickly replaced the lid before anyone could see the contents. She looked embarrassed.

"Do you like it?" Tully teased. "It was just a gag." He added as he saw the colour of her face.

"Um, thank you," she said, "but I'm not really sure that's appropriate."

He felt a little disappointed. He hadn't meant to offend her. He only wanted to provide her with a laugh. He was totally unaware that his girlfriend, four tables over, was unwrapping a cat toy. She walked over the Tully's table and politely gave him the box.

"I don't think this is going to work out," she said. "I'm sorry."

Tully looked confused and little heartbroken. He wasn't used to getting dumped. He'd bought her a very fashionable and rather expensive chemise. As she walked away he shrugged. His plans for the evening were looking bleak and he wasn't sure if the gift was returnable. He thought, perhaps, his partner might be able to enlighten him.

He opened the gift box and started laughing hysterically.

"Black," he laughed, "Open your present."

"I don't think so," she responded looking horrified.

"Look!" He said holding up the cat toy. He made it squeak and she shook her head.

"What?" She said annoyed. "Is that supposed to be funny?"

"It was supposed to be for you," he choked out. His eyes were watering from laughing too hard.

It took Minerva a moment to put the evidence together but when she did she started laughing without regard for the formal setting.

The memory faded and Riddle, feeling more comfortable, sat down on the edge of the bed. He shifted through a variety of memories. He was particularly curious about Miss Black. From the moment she entered his shop, he was certain she was the witch he had met on the battlefield during the war. He was trying to access older memories but it wasn't like searching in a book. He had to roam around through a string of thoughts that would lead him to trigger war memories. He was getting closer. The memories were starting to get older.

"Come on," he whispered.

Minerva sat up, awakened by the sound and found herself face to face with Tom Riddle. Riddle wasn't expecting her sudden reaction. He fell backwards off the bed. Minerva was shocked to find an intruder in her house. She rolled to the opposite side of the bed and summoned her wand.

"Who are you?" She demanded pointing her wand at the man on the floor. It was dark, and without her glasses she couldn't see clearly. Riddle exhaled and backed toward the door.

"Who are you?" She demanded again as she advanced on him.

"_Obliviate_!" He shouted. Her quick martial magic skills allowed her to counter the spell. But Riddle used the moment to make his escape into the sitting room. He quickly drew his mask over his face and waited for her to emerge. She ran out after him, glasses on this time.

They exchanged spells for a few moments and that in itself confirmed his suspicion she was the witch he'd met on the battlefield. She was concerned. He was using dark spells, very dark spells. This was no ordinary intruder. He cast a severing charm, which she rolled to avoid, and it hit the shelves on the wall causing books and pictures to go flying. As she regained her footing, he cast a curse to cause the dying fire in the fireplace to spill out onto the floor.

He used the moment to make his escape. Within seconds he vanished into the thin air and burst out her window, shattering glass across the floor. Minerva tried to put out the fire, but the curse was spreading too quickly. She'd lost her glasses when she'd rolled to avoid his severing charm. She ran to the desk, but Dumbledore's letters were gone. The fire had now encased all of the walls. With a deafening crash, a support beam collapsed in the hallway, blocking her escape.

Minerva glanced up at the mantle. She grabbed a pinch of floo powder and jumped. She had choked heavily on the smoke while escaping. She wasn't sure if the floo had taken her to the right place.

* * *

It was dark, she didn't have her glasses, and she was quite stunned from her duel. She stumbled out of the fireplace and into a small table.

"Ouch!" She said in a hoarse whisper.

The table fell and the crash of glass hitting the wood floor resounded through the rowhouse. Within seconds there was a light on and Tully McGonagall, wand drawn, came rushing down the stairs in a tartan dressing gown.

"Who the hell's there?" he said sleepily.

"Stupefy!" A high voice cried from behind Tully. Dolores, wearing a bright, fluffy pink dressing gown with fuzzy adornments, had followed Tully down the stairs.

Minerva quickly dodged the spell and retaliated by disarming her opponent.

"Minerva," Tully said he realized it was his partner. "What on earth are you doing here?"

"Fire," she said breathing heavily. Her duel with the mysterious intruder had left her out of breath.

"What?" He asked as he approached her.

"Intruder, took the letter," she said clutching her side. He'd managed to get a nice slicing curse into her abdomen. It was bleeding heavily and had already soaked through her nightclothes.

Tully sent a Patronus to track down Commissioner Urquart and Moody, who was stationed on overnight duty.

"Darling," Dolores said as she approached the two. "May I see you?"

Tully protested but Minerva waved him off. Tully and Dolores retreated to the kitchen where Minerva could overhear their argument.

"WHY DID SHE COME HERE? IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT? IN A DRESSING GOWN SO SHORT I THINK IT COULD PASS A TEA COSY!" Dolores yelled.

Minerva felt guilty. She hadn't meant to disturb her partner, or to upset his soon-to-be wife. She was losing blood and dazed and for some reason Tully was on her mind.

Minerva jumped as Moody entered the home unannounced.

"OH GREAT! THE WHOLE GANG'S HERE!" Dolores shouted as Moody burst in.

Tully and Moody laid Minerva back on the davenport. She was bleeding all over her partner's furniture. Tully lifted up her dressing gown to reveal a long gash, roughly six inches long and over an inch deep. Moody began to field dress the wound, but they would have to move her to a professional healer. While they were trying to stop the bleeding, Dolores came down stairs fully dressed, snapped her goodbyes, and slammed the door on her way out.

"I got him," Minerva hissed as Moody used shirt to try and stop the bleeding.

"Quiet," Moody insisted.

"I hit him," she said trying to focus on anything but her own wounds. "I hit him with a mark."

"I think I'm in love," Moody winked trying to lighten the mood, "Good girl."

A mark was a charm used by Aurors to mark suspects during altercations. It caused a large blue line to appear on the subject's arm and remain there for 48 hours. If the suspect escaped, they could use the mark to locate them later. It was impossible to remove the mark by charms, potions, or even makeup.

"Now we just need a suspect," Tully said. "We can't just go traipsing through Knockturn Alley asking everyone to hold their hand out."

"It was a man," Minerva said. "He was pale. Short dark hair. Just under six feet."

"Thanks," Tully said. "I'll go round up the hundreds of wizards that fit that description."

"You'll start with Master Declan Holver," said a familiar voice.

"Am I the Leaky Cauldron?" Tully exclaimed as Potter walked in through the front door and handed Tully a warrant for Master Declan Holver's residence.

"Sorry," Potter said. "It was open and I was informed this was an emergency."

Tully shrugged and waved him in. Potter immediately went over to the davenport where Moody was having little progress with Minerva's wound. Potter took over from Moody and grabbed Minerva's hand. He pulled off his jacket and laid it over Minerva's exposed legs.

"Thank you," she said with a shiver.

_Why didn't I think of that? _Tully said internally as he kicked himself for not coming up with the idea. It was obvious she was freezing.

Moments later, Commissioner Urquart arrived with a trained Auror medic who saw to patching up Minerva. Tully and the others retreated into the kitchen to discuss the their next move. After updating Urquart on the situation at hand, he agreed that executing the search warrant on Holver would be their next move. In addition, he was sending out an all-points bulletin to be on the lookout for a marked suspect.

Several moments later, Minerva entered and Urquart began to question her on the earlier incident. He also informed her that a team was already on site at her home searching for evidence.

"I woke up and there was an intruder on my bed," she explained.

"What was he doing?" Urquart asked clinically.

"He was inside me," Minerva said with a appalled look.

Tully tightened his fists. Moody cocked his head. Potter stood up angrily.

"I mean inside my head," she corrected herself, realizing how her prior statement could be construed. Potter sat back down and released a sigh of relief.

"Do you remember what you were thinking?" Urquart asked concerned.

"Nothing relating to the case," she said surely. "The Ministry Yule Party from three years ago."

"You're sure?" Urquart asked in a low tone.

Minerva nodded and asserted that she was positive there were no case-sensitive memories viewed.

Minister Urquart left to check on the progress if the investigation at Minerva's flat. Moody, who was on overnight, left to return to the office. Potter, Tully, and Minerva were left in the small kitchen. Minerva shuddered.

"Let's get you home," Potter said as he set his hand on her shoulder. Tully cocked an eyebrow at this assertion.

"You could stay here," Tully suggested. "Seeing as how you are already here."

Minerva responded by raising _her _eyebrow at his suggestion.

"I think I'd like to return to my own home, thank you," Minerva responded.

"Total loss," Potter told her plainly. "Urquart informed us while you were with the medic. I'm sorry."

Minerva sighed, smiled, and leaned back in her chair. She closed her eyes and said nothing. Neither Tully nor Potter were quite sure what to say in response. Tully wanted to say he was sorry, but he knew it wouldn't change anything. The clock ticked slowly as time passed and seemed like an eternity before anyone spoke.

"What are you thinking?" Potter finally asked.

_Damn he's good!_ Tully thought.

Minerva hesitated before responding.

"Nine years ago I started over," she said with her eyes still closed. "And now I do it again."

Tully didn't know much about the details regarding Minerva's separation from the Black family, but he knew the gist of the situation. Minerva had a falling out with her family. Her political views and career choice were part of the disagreement. She left home with nothing. She had spent the last decade building a life for herself that was now up in flames. His heart broke and he wished he could help. Minerva was like family.

"Excuse me, gentlemen," she said as she stood up suddenly. Tully and Potter both stood at the same time. Potter insisted that she sit back down while Tully grabbed her a drink of water.

"I would really just like to get some proper clothes on," Minerva said in a far away tone.

Tully jumped up a little too eagerly and left the room. He raced up the stairs into his bedroom. He opened the closet and scanned quickly through his suit coats for anything that might be suitable. Next, he tore open his dresser to find anything that might work. He was ripping through his jumpers when he noticed a pink flash from the corner of the room.

On a small chair in the corner was cocktail dress Dolores left at his home for special occasions. Tully grinned as he grabbed it. He held up and twirled until he caught himself in the mirror.

He ran back downstairs quickly and held out the dress with a toothy grin. Minerva Black would never pout, but the look on her face was as close to pout as it ever would be. She grudgingly accepted the offering and left to put it on.

Transfiguring clothing was tricky. Although Minerva was quite skilled at the subject, transfiguring clothes was not easy. Every change weakened the item. Over time, the changes to the item would decay and it would return to its original state. The more changes made, the faster the rate of decay. Changing a hemline or a neckline would usually last about a day. Changing sleeves or color would last a few hours at most. Minerva wasn't quite sure how long she'd have before finding suitable clothing. She was also exhausted and reluctant to attempt complex transfigurations in that state. Lastly, she'd lost her glasses and didn't trust her eyesight.

She squinted hard to see her handiwork in the mirror. Dolores was much shorter than Minerva. She'd spent most her efforts extending the length of the dress. She brought the neckline up and added sleeves. She was glad she looked. Her hair was a mess. A quick snap of her fingers, and her curls calmed themselves. She pinched her cheeks to add some colour to her face and resigned herself that it would have to do.

Minerva entered the kitchen to find Tully and Potter sitting in an uncomfortable silence. The only sound was the clock ticking on the wall. Tully was staring at the table and Potter was staring at the cupboards along the wall.

"Thank you," Minerva said stoically. "You furniture is cleaned. And I will return the dress in the morning."

"Are you ready to leave?" Potter asked as he rose from his chair.

"Thank you," Minerva repeated. "But I think I'd like to be alone right now."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," Potter protested lightly. Tully looked up at him with a scowl.

"She just said she wanted to be alone," Tully snapped, happy he'd finally gained the upper hand. "Can't you respect that?" Then he added, "You can take my room. I'll sleep downstairs."

Potter rounded on Tully with an equally frustrated glare.

"Do you hear yourself?" He snapped. "She said she wanted to be alone," he said mimicking the other wizard.

"Black, I didn't mean-" Tully tried to explain. But as he turned back to the doorway, both wizards realized she was gone.

"Now look what you've done," Tully said showing his exasperation.

"What I've done?" Potter countered rounding on the man. Tully made for the door but Potter stopped him. "Let her go."

Tully turned and glared at Potter but said nothing. Potter eased his grip on the older wizard.

"It's what she does," he said trying to make Tully understand.

"She shouldn't be alone right now," Tully said as he stared down the younger and smaller wizard.

"I know you care about her," Potter said. "But you don't know what she needs right now."

"Oh like you do!" Tully exclaimed wildly. Perhaps it was his lack of sleep, or argument with Dolores, or even his dislike of Potter, but he wasn't going to hold back any longer. He sneered, "I know about you two. She's right there in front of you and somehow you can't bring yourself to make your relationship public. Is it the fallout with her family? What, is she not good enough for the likes of you?"

"I would love nothing more than to dedicate my every waking moment to making that woman happy," Potter responded without blinking. "You don't know anything about us." Tully was breathing heavily, anger rising within his chest.

"And you know even less about her," he added as he threw his coat over his shoulder and walked out. "Do _her_ a favour and let her be."

Tully slunk down his kitchen chair and let his arms rest at his sides. He thought of nothing besides the overwhelming sense of unease in his gut. He was unsure of everything. He'd manage to anger his fiancée. Worse, his uncontrolled emotion had managed to drive his partner to solitude in her hour of need.

* * *

Several blocks away Minerva was walking with no particular direction. Her arms were crossed as she tried to keep out the cold. She wanted to be away from everyone. She would have to return to the office in a few hours. In addition, she would need to find more suitable clothing for the fall weather. The wind had picked up and was blowing leaves in spirals down the deserted street.

After what felt like ages she began to recognize buildings. Her feet had led her to the Ministry. Subconscious Minerva was all business. She kept an extra pair of trousers and a blouse at the office. She would need to file her formal report on the incident.

* * *

Several hours later, Tully entered the office to find Minerva nowhere in sight. He threw his trench in the corner and placed his hat on the desk. The dress he'd leant her lay neatly over the back of his chair, returned to its original state. He ran his hand along the fabric of the dress. He had expected to find her here, pouring over case notes or sweating out a detailed-rich report.

He sat down on the top of his desk and flipped casually to a page in his case notes. He'd been researching the shop clerk, Tom Riddle, since their encounter in Knockturn Alley. Something in Riddle's stare had struck a chord with Tully. Unfortunately, he'd had little success. He had a meeting set up later that morning with Professor Slughorn. He hadn't told Slughorn the full reason for their meeting, only that Tully needed his help with an ongoing investigation.

There was a quick knock before the door opened and Potter stepped inside. He had a small file clasped in his hand. He looked agitated as he threw the file on Tully's desk.

"What's this?" Tully said calmly.

"Declan Holver," Potter replied.

"But there's nothing here," Tully said confused as he glanced at the file. There were a few times his named appeared on a register for purchasing rare items from an apothecary. There was also a record from Mulpepper's (a shop in Knockturn Alley) for a one-year lease on a small flat. Tully was right, there was nothing to go on.

"Holver's flat is the same address that shop boy gave you as his own," Potter explained. "We've been had."

"I'm sorry," Tully replied.

"Urquart is assigning you and Black to head back to arrest that shop boy," Potter explained. "With Bones and Moody as backup. Hopefully he can lead us to Borgin and Burke."

"No," Tully said. "I am sorry. I am sorry for what I said to you this morning."

"No need," Potter said dismissively.

"I mean it," Tully pressed. "I care about my partner. I want her to be happy. You're a lovely fellow."

"Thank you," Potter said accepting Tully's apology. "Now maybe you can get _her_ to go along with that idea."

"Well this is odd," Minerva said as she entered the office to find Tully and Potter. She gave them a moment's glance and then walked over to her desk. She began stuffing papers into a folder, pretending they weren't there.

Potter filled her in on the situation . They would be arresting Tom Riddle for disrupting their investigation. They needed to find Borgin and Burke, and most importantly the necklace, before anyone was hurt. It would take some time for the arrest warrant to clear. The group would meet again at ten o'clock to carry out the warrant. This would give Tully just enough time to meet with Slughorn.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Tully was heading toward Limehouse Library. He didn't want anyone knowing about his meeting with Slughorn yet. The library was often used as a meeting point for Aurors to speak with informants. It was considered a secure location. Tully was crossing a street when a familiar voice caught his attention.

"What are you doing here?" Minerva said matching his pace.

"I could ask you the same question," he retorted. "_I_ have a meeting with a source."

"As do I," she responded as they walked through the doorway into the library.

Right inside the door, Professor Dumbledore and Professor Slughorn were chatting amiably at a small table. Slughorn waved enthusiastically as he saw Tully and Minerva enter the library.

"Why didn't you tell me you were meeting with Dumbledore?" Tully whispered to his partner while forcing a small and returning Slughorn's wave.

She didn't respond verbally. Rather, she cocked her head and met his gaze. He realized he shouldn't have asked that question considering he'd kept his meeting with Slughorn a secret. He suddenly felt quite guilty about keeping his investigation into Tom Riddle a secret from his partner. He trusted her completely and she would probably be a valuable asset to his research. He decided he would tell her after his meeting with Slughorn.

"Well, well, well," Slughorn smiled as he greeted the pair. "It is so nice to see you two again. How may be of assistance?"

"I'd like to speak to you in private, Professor," Tully said in a serious tone. The two men headed off to the upper floor of the library. Slughorn had been more than eager to respond to Tully's invitation. Tully was hoping that Slughorn could provide some insight into Tom Riddle's background and, most importantly, where he'd been for the last five years. However, Tully was disappointed. When questioned, Professor Slughorn drew quiet and seemed uncomfortable discussing the former student.

"I haven't really kept in touch with him," Slughorn whispered.

Tully continued to press Slughorn for information but the man was not keen on sharing. He did tell Tully that Riddle was a student of his, a brilliant student, but a little strange. He did not confess to knowing if Riddle had any experience or training in Legilimency.

Downstairs his partner was having considerably more luck with her meeting. Dumbledore was upset, but unsurprised, to learn that the information had been stolen. His eyes never lost his twinkle, even as he discussed the severity of the situation. He filled Minerva in on some of the individuals he'd been watching and their activities.

According to Dumbledore's source, there was a man working for someone known as "The Dark Lord." This man was an assassin. By Dumbledore's count this same killer had already murdered four people across Europe in the last five years. Each time the same strange symbol of a skull and snake was found at the murder.

Minerva asked Dumbledore if he knew anything about Tom Riddle. She didn't provide any details, but Dumbledore's eyes clouded over at the mention of his name.

"He's dangerous," Dumbledore said.

Minerva asked Dumbledore if he knew any specifics, but Dumbledore wasn't giving in.

"Another time, perhaps," Dumbledore said coyly. "But be careful speaking with him. He's a gifted legilimens."

As they left the library, Minerva felt a chill at Dumbledore's words. Tully was feeling equally uneasy. Slughorn had given him little to go on. One clue Slughorn gave Tully was a list of former students Tom Riddle had been close with at Hogwarts. After questioning Riddle, Tully would track down the names on the list.

* * *

An hour later they were preparing to arrest Tom Riddle. Carrying out arrest warrants in Knockturn Alley were always a crapshoot. It was a part of wizarding London that wasn't Ministry-friendly territory. A simple arrest could turn into a large-scale shootout if not handled properly. The Ministry was taking no chances with Riddle's arrest warrant.

Moody had been responsible for developing the plan. Bones and Moody, being the most agile team, would lead the arrest. Minerva and Tully would cover the backdoor. Two other Aurors from the homicide division would be waiting out front as backup. Moody had even pulled Kingsley Shacklebolt from the vice subdivision standing by undercover outside the shop.

Moody and Bones didn't hesitate when entering. There were several patrons in and around the shop. It was certainly more crowded than it had been the first time the Aurors had been there.

"Mister Riddle, if you would please raise your hands above your head," Moody said steadily.

"Of course," Riddle said calmly. He raised his hands slowly. In a flash, Moody was hit with a stunner from behind. One of the patrons in the shop had fired the spell. Bones had him bound with a quick binding spell. As she turned to snag Riddle, she realized he was already gone.

In a small alley behind the shop, Minerva and Tully were at the ready when Riddle burst through the backdoor. Instead of running, he lunged at Tully and knocked him into the wall. Tully instantly felt Riddle inside of his mind. It was cold and uncomfortable.

Minerva grabbed Riddle over his arms and pulled him off Tully. She slammed his face against the wall.

"Tom Riddle you are under arrest for interfering with an official investigation of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," she said harshly. "Do you understand?"

"Black," Tully said as he recovered. He was pointing at Riddle's arm. The sleeve of his robe had been pulled up during scuffle to reveal a large blue stain. Riddle was marked.

"Tom Riddle you are under arrest for assault on an officer of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," she added. "Do you understand?"


End file.
